Arman Tsarukyan and Eddie Hearn are not getting into business with each other.
That’s despite a picture that Tsarukyan posted last week showing what appeared to be a meeting between the longtime lightweight No. 1 contender and the Matchroom Boxing head. The picture had many speculating that “Batman” might be the latest UFC fighter to let Hearn take over some promotional duties, joining Tom Aspinall, Ian Machado Garry, and Paulo Costa.
The timing was interesting: UFC CEO Dana White had just suggested
he wouldn’t be against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski jumping the lightweight title line and fighting Justin Gaethje. Shortly after that, Hearn (who continues to be a thorn in the side of White and Zuffa boxing) shared the photo with Arman.
But take your tinfoil hats off, people. According to Eddie Hearn, this was nothing but a chance encounter at a hotel that turned into the opportunity for brunch.
“Everyone went crazy for this,” Hearn wrote on Instagram. “We were just staying in the same hotel randomly and arranged to have some breakfast together.”
Hearn has taken it upon himself to help UFC fighters in his stable get more media attention and lucrative sponsorships. For a promotion company, the UFC doesn’t actually promote its fighters very much, so Hearn has stepped in to fill that role. And it doesn’t hurt that the optics aren’t great for UFC and White, whom Hearn has accused of being checked out.
When Hearn and Garry linked up, they kept the deal a secret until the UFC announced Garry vs. Makhachev. Hearn wasn’t so secretive with his Tsarukyan breakfast, which he posted on his socials for all to see. With Tsarukyan waiting to see if he’ll finally get another shot at the lightweight title, could this whole thing affect his chances? Even now that we’re learning it was an innocent breakfast?
