It’s safe to say “Ahalkalakets” is still in trouble.
No. 1-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight Arman Tsarukyan has been doing just about everything except fighting in the UFC lately. That includes multiple grappling matches and, most recently, starting a brawl at Real American Freestyle (RAF).
His boss, UFC CEO Dana White, finally addressed Tsarukyan’s latest controversy during the UFC 326 post-fight press conference.
“I don’t love it, but that night was someone else’s problem and
not mine,” White told the media during the UFC 326 post-fight press conference. “The division is heading up, and there are a lot of fun fights to make, and we’ll get Arman figured out.”
White was then asked what might be next for Tsarukyan after the No. 1 contender claimed he recently spoke with UFC CBO Hunter Campbell about potential matchups against Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Alexander Volkanovski.
“I don’t know,” White said. “I’m not thrilled with Arman right now, and there are a lot of different reasons — it’s not just the things you see publicly. I understand there was a lot of back and forth between [Arman and Georgio Poullas], but where there is smoke, there is fire. And Arman has been smoking a lot lately. So, yeah.”
While White declined to elaborate on the specific issues behind his frustration, he has previously pointed to Tsarukyan’s infamous withdrawal from UFC 311 as a moment that severely damaged his standing in the division. The Armenian contender has also found himself involved in multiple controversies outside the cage, including punching a fan and head-butting Dan Hooker before UFC Qatar.
For now, it appears Tsarukyan may remain stuck in something of a UFC holding pattern.
He is scheduled to compete in a grappling match in Brazil later this week and also has a rematch with Georgio Poullas booked for April.
So while Tsarukyan may not be returning to the Octagon anytime soon, he’ll certainly stay busy.
