Arman Tsarukyan Claims He Accepted Short Notice Scrap With Justin Gaethje
UFC 313, the upcoming PPV scheduled for March 8th, was thrown into turmoil less than two weeks to the event. Disaster struck on February 25, when Dan Hooker revealed he had injured his hand and would be unable to face Justin Gaethje in the Co-Main Event. The initial bout between Gaethje and Hooker was highly anticipated as a guaranteed war, with Hooker saying he would certainly go directly to the hospital once it was finished. UFC brass began desperately scrambling for a suitable replacement for Gaethje. They landed on Rafael Fiziev, but not before calling a litany of other Lightweight contenders. Gaethje provided a list of some of those would-be replacements, and among them was Arman Tsarukyan.
Gaethje’s Callout and Tsarukyan’s Response
When Fiziev accepted the fight, Justin Gaethje took to X to express his gratitude:
“Arman and Charles understandably said no. Max and Dustin understandably said no. Moicano got the call and said no. Props to Fiziev for volunteering to fly across the world and take this fight. Big risk here for me taking this rematch against and elite striker. Life’s a trip. Best live show on earth going down March 8th #UFC313“
Arman Tsarukyan took offense to what he perceived as a mischaracterization of events. He responded, clarifying that he had accepted the late substitution, but with one important caveat:
“I didn’t say no, I accepted immediately and asked for a 160lbs catchweight 11 days out from weigh ins, UFC said that wasn’t an option.”
Respondents quickly pointed out that if the offer was a fight at 155 lbs, asking for 160 instead was tantamount to saying no. He does have a point, though, that being unwilling and unable to make weight are not the same. For his part, Gaethje clarified in comments that he didn’t mean to suggest fighters were afraid of him. He assumed they were simply too heavy to cut the weight, much like Arman. The former Interim Champion was sympathetic, saying he usually needs 8-12 weeks to make the cut healthily.
A Missed Opportunity for Arman Tsarukyan
Regardless of the exact circumstances, it’s a shame Tsarukyan couldn’t save the day. UFC had scheduled him to challenge Islam Makhachev for the Lightweight Title six weeks ago at UFC 311. However, a back injury forced him to withdraw just one day away from fight night. The last-minute nature of the withdrawal seemed to draw Dana White’s ire, as the boss said he would have to earn his way back to a title shot.
If Arman could have saved the Co-Main Event with Gaethje on short notice, it may have gone a long way towards balancing the scales. As it stands, he’ll have to continue to wait for his next shot at a #1 Contender fight. He’s not only seeking the title, but looking to avenge a loss to Islam Makhachev. He may have to jump through even more hoops now to get his chance.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
