Arman Tsarukyan will have to work a bit harder to secure a title shot, regardless of where he stands in the latest UFC rankings.
Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is currently the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds, but UFC matchmakers recently passed him over, opting instead to book Paddy Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) vs. Justin Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) for the interim lightweight title in the UFC 324 main event on January 24 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Tsarukyan made his case for a championship opportunity with an impressive submission win over Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar last month. However, because the Armenian contender withdrew from a scheduled title fight against then-champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 last January, UFC President Dana White said he’s hesitant to trust Tsarukyan with another title booking right now.
"I wouldn't say that he's the odd man out," White told reporters at the UFC 323 post-fight press conference on Saturday. "He had an opportunity, and you guys know how that played out. He's gonna have to work his way back. I don't give a shit 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."
Tsarukyan’s win over Hooker marked his first appearance in the Octagon in more than 18 months. He withdrew from the bout against Makhachev last January at the last moment, citing a back injury the night before weigh-ins. Renato Moicano stepped in as the replacement, but the incident still lingers in White’s mind and continues to overshadow Tsarukyan’s title aspirations.
"You can't do that," White said. "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."
