“UFC Has a Task…to Teach Arman a Lesson” – Arman Tsarukyan’s Team Confirms His Biggest Fear After UFC 311 Pullout

Exactly how difficult can the weight cut be in the UFC? Arman Tsarukyan might be an extreme example. Back in 2019, Arman was up against Islam Makhachev for the first time in what was Arman’s UFC debut. In that Fight Night in Russia, Arman stepped up in just a month’s notice. Because of that, the weight cut regime was intense. So much so that he even did not step back from cutting his own wedding short! “Some people don’t understand how important the diet and the training schedule is and how stressful it can get when you have to get up and train at 6 AM, then go to your own wedding and leave it early.” On that occasion, he made it. But six years later, he could not.

Arman Tsarukyan’s unexpected withdrawal from UFC 311 robbed him of the Chance to avenge that 2019 loss to Makhachev. Scheduled to challenge reigning lightweight champion Makhachev, Tsarukyan’s abrupt exit, apparently due to a debilitating back injury, sent shockwaves through the MMA community. ‘Ahalkalakets’ recounted that after a routine evening training session, he began experiencing severe lower back pain, which escalated overnight. Despite attempting to proceed with his weight cut, the pain intensified to the point where he couldn’t move, leading to his difficult decision to withdraw. But wait, a former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett thought otherwise.

Per Barnett, this was originally a botched weight cut that manifested as a locked back. “You don’t get Arman Tsarukyan having back problems if you don’t have insane weight cutting. I truly believe that in doing his weight cut, he probably did hit a huge back spasm out of nowhere that completely took him by surprise,” he said.

The sudden change was a significant blow to Tsarukyan, who had been on a winning streak and was poised for his first title shot. Acknowledging the setback, Tsarukyan expressed his agreement with White’s decision that he would need to fight his way back to title contention once recovered. As he focuses on recovery, the lightweight landscape continues to evolve, with fighters like Charles Oliveira,  eyeing their paths to a title shot.

Now former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has also expressed his interest fighting the champion. While there has been no official announcement about his next fight, Eduard Vartanyan feels he might just get the nod ahead of Tsarukyan. The 33-year-old during a recent conversation with Ushatayka, made it clear that the UFC is looking to teach a lesson to the 28-year-old after his UFC 311 pull out. He said, “I am also not surprised if Topuria will fight for the belt or the winner of the pair of Gaethje and Fiziev. So in this case the UFC has a task like to teach Arman a lesson.” 

Meanwhile, ‘Ahalkalakets’ stated that he would like to rematch Charles Oliveira in a five-round fight to determine who the next contender is and following Makhachev’s manager’s recent comments regarding the UFC’s plan for Islam’s next fight. According to Ali Abdelaziz, Tsarukyan, Oliveira, and Topuria have all been immediately ruled out by the UFC, who have already started preparing for Makhachev’s next fight. Oliveira had a similar situation to Tsarukyan when he withdrew from his UFC 294 fight against Makhachev, subsequently losing his title shot. 55-year-old is clear about his stand amid this chaos.

Dana White hopes to see Arman Tsarukyan in action soon after UFC 311 pullout

Missing out on a championship fight always comes with consequences, and this time, it’s Arman Tsarukyan who finds himself paying the price. In the fight game, an injured competitor isn’t just at a disadvantage; they’re a risk for the promotion itself. More so the amount of competition there is in the lightweight division. One just cannot slack just for a little bit as someone else will take over their place. That’s exactly why Dana White wasted no time in stating that Tsarukyan wouldn’t get an immediate title shot upon his return. However, he wants to see him work his way back to the top again.

During the UFC 311 post-fight conference the UFC head honcho said, “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.” The topic resurfaced once again during the Power Slap 11 press conference when a reporter brought up a key point—Arman Tsarukyan still holds the #1 spot in the lightweight rankings. Realistically, no other contender has a stronger claim to a title shot than he does.

However, despite his position at the top, Dana White’s stance remained clear—Tsarukyan was out of the title picture, at least for now. Who do you think Arman Tsarukyan will be facing next in his career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.