Arman Tsarukyan didn’t expect the UFC’s latest fight proposal—and it caught him off guard.
The lightweight contender (23-3 MMA. 9-2 UFC) recently competed in a 175-pound grappling match against Makasharip Zaynukov at Karate Combat 54 in Dubai. After the event, Tsarukyan revealed that the UFC approached him with a surprising offer for his next bout: a main event at UFC on ABC 9 on July 26 in Abu Dhabi, but against a lower-ranked opponent than he anticipated.
Tsarukyan, 28, had previously pulled out of his scheduled title shot against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January at the leventh hour when he suffered a back injury after successfully making weight. UFC President Dana White later stated that Tsarukyan would need to secure another win before being considered for a title shot again. Although Tsarukyan accepted that requirement, he expected to face a top-tier contender—not someone below him in the rankings.
"(The UFC) offered me a fight in Abu Dhabi in July, main event, but I turned it down because they offered me an opponent I didn't want to fight," Tsarukyan told Sport24. "He is below me in the rankings, so I didn't see any reason to fight him. In MMA, I see no reason to fight just for money.
"I need to fight a top-five or top-six opponent at the very least to make sure my next fight will be for the title. I am the No. 1 contender. Why should I give such a gift to a guy who's ranked No. 10? Nobody did that for me when I made it to the top 10. I fought top nine, top eight, top seven, top five, top four before I became No. 1. I don't want to put my spot on the line for free."
Although Tsarukyan chose not to disclose the name of the proposed opponent, he made it clear he was dissatisfied with the UFC’s choice in matchmaking.
"It's the UFC who made me angry when they offered me that kind of an opponent," Tsarukyan said. "I would say it was disrespectful to me from their side to offer me that. I deserve better. I am the No. 1 contender. I am not saying they should give me the title shot – just give me a contender fight. If they offered me a top-five opponent, OK – somebody on a winning streak, at least. The one they offered me is on a losing streak. They could have given me (Dan) Hooker. The guy has won a few fights in a row."
