Arman Tsarukyan’s dream turned into a nightmare this past Friday when he suffered a last-minute injury ahead of UFC 311.
UFC’s first pay-per-view event of 2025 was supposed to feature a hotly anticipated lightweight title rematch between champion Islam Makhachev and Tsarukyan. With a win, Tsarukyan would’ve avenged a unanimous decision loss to Makhachev he suffered in his UFC debut six years prior. However, because of an untimely lower back strain, it never happened.
“I’ve been working for long time, and I missed my opportunity,” Tsarukyan said Monday on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I waste my money, my time, my health for this fight. A lot of people who worked with me, my coaches, my nutritionist, my doctors, they just — that day, the Friday, they felt so bad, and they were worried about me, about my feelings.
“I was telling everybody this is a part of the game, I’m good, no worries. I have a strong mindset, and I know I come back and be the best in this game. I believe in myself every day. It just happened.”
Tsarukyan, 28, admitted he dealt with several nagging injuries ahead of the big title rematch, but none that were related to — or as severe as — what ultimately canceled the bout. Tsarukyan’s lower back felt fine all week but began acting up the Wednesday before the event’s pre-fight press conference.
“Everything was good until Wednesday after training,” Tsarukyan said. “I went to sleep and I started to feel my lower back, and I couldn’t sleep all night and I thought something happened. Took some painkillers and they didn’t help. Next day, I thought, ‘It’s going to be good. After press conference, I’m going to start my weight cut.’ When I started my weight cut, I was doing bike, and in that moment, my back started — and I couldn’t move. I just laid down.
“It was crazy pain. I couldn’t do cardio. And then UFC doctors came and started to help me, some [physical therapy], and they said, ‘You’re going to be alright in the morning. If you’re going to feel the same, you can’t continue to cut your weight.'”
Tsarukyan’s weight cut was going as planned — he had six pounds left to cut before he went to bed Thursday night. But when he awoke, the pain was the same as before, prompting him to notify his manager. Tsarukyan said he felt fine at Thursday’s press conference, but things got significantly worse once the weight-cutting process and dehydration kicked in.
A specific diagnosis wasn’t immediately clear, but Tsarukyan believes his injury is similar to when he hurt his back in the past, connecting it to a sciatic nerve issue.
“When you pull your back, it’s the same feeling,” Tsarkuyan said. “I pulled my back like two years ago or three years ago once, and it felt like the same feeling because when I pulled it long ago, I couldn’t move for like four days. Now it’s the same exact thing.”
Tsarukyan has rounded into form as a true elite competitor over his past four fights. Yet despite the strong case he made for his first career title shot, he’ll now have to work his way back up the ladder of lightweight contenders. UFC CEO Dana White indicated after Saturday’s event that it’s now “back to the drawing board” for Tsarukyan, who won’t be re-booked into the division’s next title bout.
Tsarukyan understands and accepts White’s position.
“I’m not surprised, because when you have a big fight and you miss your opportunity, you gotta go back and fight with anybody and deserve to be again [considered the] contender No. 1,” Tsarukyan said. “But right now, I [already] beat Charles Oliveira. He’s the No. 2. I don’t know. If it makes sense, I’ll fight with anybody.
“I was training so hard, I was starting my weight, I was dieting like eight weeks. And just on my mind, if I step in the cage, [I would’ve] made a lot of money. I wanted to be in this fight more than everybody. Even if I lose but look good, and I could make good money. But I couldn’t walk that night.”
Tsarukyan expects his return matchup to be a five-round affair regardless of opponent.
Tsarukyan’s most recent foe, former champion Oliveira, and perennial contender Michael Chandler immediately emerged on social media as possible opponents. The Oliveira win was the biggest of Tsarukyan’s career at UFC 300 this past April, coming in a hard-fought three-round split decision. Tsarukyan has never fought Chandler, but the lightweights have sparred verbally in recent years.
A return straight into a title fight is the ideal outcome for Tsarukyan, but he won’t hold his breath for that and will instead accept whoever he’s presented — whether it’s Oliveira, Chandler or someone else.
“If they say Charles or [Michael] Chandler in April, May, I’m going to take care of my back, and let’s see when I can come back,” Tsarukyan said. “I’m down with everybody because I know I can beat everybody. If they want me to beat Chandler and then again Oliveira, then fight for the title with Islam, I’m down. Because Islam is not going to come back soon, he’s going to fight in maybe six months.
“If not Islam [next], it’s a five-round fight with Charles Oliveira. Michael Chandler, he’s a tough fighter, but for me, it’s good to fight him because he has a good name and [I can] make little bit money and build my name, get some more experience from the fight, and yeah, I’m down for him too if Charles doesn’t want to fight.”
