The first numbered event of 2025 gave Dana White and Co. a mini heart attack as Arman Tsarukyan suffered a back injury and had to pull out of the main event title fight against Islam Makhachev. In his stead, Makhachev fought Renato Moicano and retained his lightweight championship title without breaking a sweat. On the other hand, Michael Chandler, who was initially promised a fight against Conor McGregor, faced disappointment as ‘The Notorious’ pulled out of their fight because of a broken pinky toe and was left without an opponent for a major part of 2024. Well, he did finally find an opponent in Charles Oliveira but lost the bout via unanimous decision. Now, rumors are that Tsarukyan is set to fight Chandler in his next bout. 

The Ring Magazine reporter Manouk Akopyan broke the internet with his tweet. He wrote, “I’m told UFC No. 1 lightweight Arman Tsarukyan and Michael Chandler (No. 7) are in negotiations for a fight at UFC 314 on April 12 in Miami.” Needless to say, it was a major development in the lightweight world. But is ‘Ahalkalakets’ completely healed? Is there any further risk of him pulling out of this fight because of his back pain? Well, the combat sports TV commentator cleared that doubt too. He continued, “Tsarukyan has resumed training and is nearly 100% after a back injury forced him out of his UFC 311 title shot vs. Islam Makhachev.” 

This matchup will be a golden chance for ‘Iron’ as well. While he was initially waiting for ‘The Notorious’ to return and fight him, things didn’t seem to be moving in the direction he wanted. Nevertheless, he settled for a fight against Charles Oliveira. Even though he lost the bout, he stood at the 7th rank on the list of lightweights. Fighting the #1 contender could grant Chandler a chance to warrant a title shot. 

But how does the title picture look for the Armenian mixed martial artist? After all, he missed out on an enormous opportunity that he had asked for months. Would Dana White let the #1 lightweight contender fight for the championship belt anytime soon? 

Dana White gives his verdict on Arman Tsarukyan’s title picture

During the post-fight press conference at UFC 311, the UFC head honcho was asked if Tsarukyan would get rebooked against Islam Makhachev. To this, White replied, “He’s going back to the drawing board. I don’t want anybody to fight hurt, ever. We’ve been in these positions before, went down there with the doctor… You miss opportunities sometimes, and he did. We’ll see how this plays out for him next year.”

But the reporter seemed persistent. He asked if the UFC CEO or the other big guns of the organization were angry at the Armenian fighter for pulling out of the fight. Well, it wasn’t something that Tsarukyan had in his control. People get injured all the time in combat sports. And sometimes, it happens right before their bouts, just like it did with Tsarukyan. White said, “I know there’s a lot of conspiracy theories out there about this. You’ll just have to watch and see how this plays out.”  

And Tsarukyan agreed with the UFC head honcho’s decision. He had a big fight and he pulled out at the last moment. He understood that he had to prove that he was worthy of being the #1 lightweight contender. And it seemed like Charles Oliveira was his choice of opponent. But fighting Chandler could have its perks. After all, he was also without an opponent, with uncertainty shrouding his bout against Conor McGregor. But we still have to wait for the official announcement to strike the internet.

Do you think Tsarukyan vs. Chandler would be an interesting matchup? Who do you think has the probability of winning the bout if at all the matchup materializes? Let us know what you think in the debate section below.