Dana White’s Plan for Big Fight in Abu Dhabi Rejected After Arman Tsarukyan Puts Team Khabib on Notice

“Now [Islam] is deciding whether he will stay at 155 or move to 170. The situation is unclear now… Right now I am not in the title race, because I got injured, my turn has passed, but if there is [a fight] for the vacant title – I will fight for the vacant title.” Arman Tsarukyan confidently announced that he will compete for the vacant 155lbs gold if reigning champion Islam Makhachev decides to move up to welterweight. A bold statement, right? Well, it’s not an overstatement by any measure. We all know the story.

The Armenian’s long-awaited title shot slipped through his fingers at the eleventh hour. Despite being the number one contender in the lightweight division, the 28-year-old was forced to withdraw from his UFC 311 bout due to a sudden back injury. It was a crushing twist for Tsarukyan and even more excruciating when Dana White announced that Tsarukyan would have to make his way back to title contention and won’t be given an immediate title shot in his next outing.

Moreover, Ilia Topuria recently confirmed that he would be fighting on June 28th at UFC 317. “I hope to make you all happy again on June 28th.” And many believe that it is going to be for the lightweight title. Now, whether he would compete against the Dagestani or slug it out against Charles Oliveira for the vacant title remains up for debate, but one thing is clear. The Armenian would probably need to fight once more before finally getting his opportunity.

But who will he need to defeat to reclaim his place in the title picture? It seems ‘Ahalkalakets’ was given his next opponent, but the 28-year-old wasn’t quite impressed with it. For the unversed, Tsarukyan recently returned to action at Karate Combat 54 on Friday night, where he defeated Makasharip Zaynukov in a submission grappling match before calling out Makhachev.

And now, in a recent interview with Sport24 after his victory, Tsarukyan revealed that he turned down the UFC’s offer to headline the promotion’s upcoming return to Abu Dhabi on July 26. The #1 ranked 155fer said that he was indeed offered to take on #7 ranked Mateusz Gamrot, but the Armenian feels he deserves better.

“They [UFC] offered me a fight in Abu Dhabi in July, main event, but I turned it down because they offered me an opponent I didn’t want to fight,” Tsarukyan said. “He is below me in the rankings, so I didn’t see any reason to fight him.”

“In MMA, I see no reason to fight just for money. I need to fight a top 5 or top 6 opponent at the very least to make sure my next fight will be for the title. I am the number one contender. Why should I give such a gift to a guy who’s ranked number 10? Nobody did that for me when I made it to the top 10… I didn’t want to put my spot on the line for free.”

Moreover, the Armenian even registered his anger and felt disrespected by the UFC. “No, it’s the UFC who made me angry when they offered me that kind of an opponent. I would say it was disrespectful to me from their side to offer me that. And I deserve better, I am the number one contender. I am not saying they should give me the title shot, just give me a contender fight. If they offered me a top 5 opponent. Ok, somebody on a winning streak at least. The one they offered me is on a losing streak. Well they could have given me Hooker. The guy has won a few fights in a row.” 

After his Karate Combat fight, the 28-year-old made it clear that he wants someone from Team Khabib next in his career. “It feels great. I haven’t fought in one year, so that’s why I came and wrestled today. My opponent is a very tough guy. No one knows him a lot because he fights in Russia, but he’s from a very strong team. He didn’t want to wrestle too much. I like offense, and he was trying to escape from me for 10 minutes. I need another guy from Khabib’s team (with Makhachev).” Tsarukyan added,“Let’s do it again.”

Although Tsarukyan was angry at the fact that he wasn’t a top contender but he also revealed that the two top dogs in the lightweight division do not wish to fight at the moment. Let us find out what he has to say about it.

Arman Tsarukyan gives the reason why Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira are not fighting him

Arman Tsarukyan is, without a doubt, one of the most unlucky fighters in the division. An unfortunate setback that was beyond the Armenian’s control happened during his fight at UFC 311. The fallout has now left him without a fight, and it seems the division is moving on without him. Islam Makhachev has shifted his focus to 170lbs, and Charles Oliveira appears more interested in securing another shot at the champion.

It’s a puzzling turn of events, especially considering Tsarukyan is the top-ranked contender. So why are both Makhachev and Oliveira steering clear of him? That’s the question fans are starting to ask—and one that doesn’t yet have a clear answer. Well, speaking to Ariel Helwani, the Armenian Fighter gave the reason behind him.

He said, “If Islam beats me, then I think he’s done with this division. He beat everybody. And he just got to beat me, and then people can say that.” Tsarukyan then pointed out why the Brazilian is not interested in fighting him. He added, “Right now, because it’s a dangerous fight, and I don’t have a title. Oliveira wants to fight for the title, Topuria wants to fight, everybody wants to fight for the title, and when the title fight is going (to get) booked, and then I’m going to get the fight.”

Who do you think Arman Tsarukyan will be fighting next in his career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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