Arman Tsarukyan is still in the doghouse.
“Ahalkalakets” torpedoed the UFC 311 main event earlier this year after hurting his back just hours before his lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev. The promotion was able to save the five-round headliner at the last minute, but the experience left a sour taste in the mouth of UFC CEO, Dana White.
In fact, White recently told reporters that Tsarukyan was not in line for the next lightweight title shot, despite the fact that “Ahalkalakets” is ranked
No. 1 in the division and the winner of five straight (with three finishes), which includes his UFC Qatar dismantling of Dan “The Hangman” Hooker just a few weeks back.
“He had an opportunity, and you guys know how that played out,” White told reporters at the UFC 323 press conference. “He’s gonna have to work his way back. I don’t give a sh*t what the number says. He’s gonna have to work his way back. It’s just too much goes into this for those type of things to happen. You can’t get the opportunity and then … it can’t end that way. He’s got to work his way back. He knows what’s going on. I don’t give a sh*t what everybody else says. He knows what’s going on, and he’s got to work his way back to that title shot.”
Fortunately for Tsarukyan, still in his fighting prime at age 29, White can be a bit of a hothead. Back in 2016, White promised Jon Jones would never headline another UFC event, then made a similar claim about Amanda Nunes the following year. He also insisted middleweight mauler Wanderlei Silva was banned from the UFC hall of fame.
Time, it would appear, heals (almost) all wounds — or at least helps you forget about them.
In the meantime, White continues to undermine his own efforts to update the Muhammad Ali Act. Ever since White and his TKO cronies got into the boxing business (along with this Saudi hotshot), they’ve been peddling a business model that supposedly honors the established rankings, unlike some of sanctioning bodies currently in existence.
Just ask TKO director Nick Khan.
“Everything the Ali Act already has, will stay the same,” Khan told Pat McAfee. “If you’re a fighter and you want to continue with it, nothing changes. This is presenting an ‘or’ — a different option where if you want to come into a unified boxing organization like Zuffa, or anyone else who wants to create a unified boxing organization. Come here, fight with us, we’ll have our own rankings system. The champion will fight the number one contender, just like in the UFC.”
Based on Tsarukyan’s arbitrary punishment, it would appear not.
Dana White contradicts Nick Khan, undermines efforts to update Ali Act with UFC punishment of top contender Arman Tsarukyan
Dana White’s arbitrary punishment of UFC’s No. 1 contender contradicts Nick Khan, undermines TKO’s efforts to update Ali Act
Dana White’s arbitrary punishment of UFC’s Arman contradicts Nick Khan, undermines TKO’s efforts to update Ali Act
