UFC issues update on injured Arman Tsarukyan’s title shot against Islam Makhachev
A back injury ruled Tsarukyan out of his fight with Makhachev, as Renato Moicano stepped in and lost on one day’s notice
Dana White has issued an update on Arman Tsarukyan’s title shot against Islam Makhachev – and it’s not good news for the No 1 contender.
Tsarukyan suffered a back injury one day before UFC 311, scuppering his long-awaited rematch with Makhachev, who holds the lightweight title. Renato Moicano was drafted in for Tsarukyan, ultimately suffering a first-round submission loss to Makhachev.
Tsarukyan would have hoped that his rematch with Makhachev – who outpointed the Armenian-Russian in 2019 – would simply be rescheduled for later this year, but that looks unlikely.
UFC president White was asked about the match-up after UFC 311 on Saturday (18 January), and said: “[Tsarukyan] is not getting a title shot. That means he’s going to have to fight his way back to the title.
“He’s going back to the drawing board. I don’t want anybody to ever fight hurt ever, we’ve been in these positions before, [but]...
“Went down there with the doctor, went down there with Heather [Linden] from the [UFC Performance Institute] ... and you miss opportunities sometimes, and he did. So, we’ll see how this plays out for him next year. I have no idea [if he could have fought]. I don’t know that, only he knows that.”
Surprisingly, Tsarukyan agreed with White’s suggestion that he must prove himself worthy of a title shot again.
“I agree with Dana White,” Tsarukyan, 28, tweeted. “Once my back heals, I’ll be ready to prove I’m the true No 1 contender by taking on anyone they put in front of me! [Charles Oliveira] in a five rounder makes [the] most sense.”
In Tsarukyan’s most-recent fight, he won a narrow decision against former champion Oliveira in April. That result extended Tsarukyan’s win streak to four in a row, while Oliveira bounced back in November by outpointing Michael Chandler.
Oliveira lost a vacant-title fight with Makhachev in October 2022, suffering a submission defeat by the Russian. A rematch was due to take place in October 2023, but the Brazilian suffered a cut that ruled him out of the bout.
As such, Makhachev vs Oliveira 2 has long been on the cards. Some fans feel the UFC should book that fight next, or Tsarukuyan vs Oliveira 2 in a No 1 contender’s bout.