🚨 Dana White just announced that Arman Tsarukyan is the OFFICIAL backup fighter for Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje at the White House 👀
(via @Ninadrama)
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Arman Tsarukyan of the UFC
UFC president Dana White confirmed that Arman Tsarukyan is the backup fighter for the upcoming lightweight title fight at UFC Freedom 250.
UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria takes on interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC Freedom 250, in what is a title unification bout. The event is set for June 14 at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.
On Thursday night, just two days ahead of UFC 328, White broke some big news for the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 event.
Speaking to Nina Drama, White confirmed that Tsarukyan — the No. 2-ranked contender in the UFC lightweight division — will be the official backup fighter for UFC Freedom 250’s lightweight title main event. As the backup fighter, Tsarukyan will be paid to train and make weight at the 155 lbs title fight limit. If something happens to either Topuria or Gaethje, Tsarukyan will step in to fight for the belt.
“Arman is the backup for the White House fight. So, if anything happens to that fight, Arman’s in there. So there you go,” White said.
🚨 Dana White just announced that Arman Tsarukyan is the OFFICIAL backup fighter for Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje at the White House 👀
(via @Ninadrama)
Not only is Tsarukyan the No. 2-ranked lightweight in the world, but he is also ranked No. 13 in the pound-for-pound rankings, making him one of the very best MMA fighters on the planet. Thus, having him as the official backup for the UFC lightweight title fight makes all the sense in the world, particularly given how big of an event the UFC White House card is.
The 29-year-old Georgia native first joined the UFC roster in 2019, when he battled Islam Makhachev in his promotional debut. He lost a close decision to Makhachev in that fight, but he flashed plenty of potential. In the years since then, Tsarukyan has shown that he is one of the best lightweights in the world and someone who could very well win the title sometime soon.
Overall, Tsarukyan is 10-2 in the Octagon, with his only losses coming to Makhachev and Mateusz Gamrot in another close fight. He has notable wins over the likes of Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, Dan Hooker, and Joel Alvarez, among others. He is one of the best grapplers in the weight class and also has heavy knockout power in his hands. Overall, he is an incredible talent, and he has all of the tools necessary to become a UFC champion.
Tsarukyan was supposed to fight Makhachev in a rematch last year at UFC 311, but he was forced to withdraw at the last minute due to a back injury, and he was replaced by Renato Moicano. He was then named as the backup fighter for the UFC 317 lightweight title bout between Topuria and Oliveira, but never got into action as both of those fighters made it to the fight.
Since then, Tsarukyan has fought once, beating Hooker in a wipeout. He has also had several wrestling matches for the RAF, so he has been keeping busy in combat sports. But UFC fans want to see him fight inside the Octagon, and he may get the chance at UFC Freedom 250 should anything happen to Topuria or Gaethje before the historic UFC White House card.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
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