Arman Tsarukyan is still bitter about the current state of the UFC’s lightweight division.
One day before he was scheduled to compete for the world title, Tsarukyan suffered a back injury to halt plans for a UFC 311 main event fight in January against then-champion Islam Makhachev.
Tsarukyan has not been granted a redo since. As his frustration continues to mount, so does the UFC’s apparent favoritism toward other contenders like Paddy Pimblett.
In Tsarukyan’s opinion, according to an interview with The Overdogs Podcast, he deems it unfair given Pimblett's body of work.
“You’ve got to delete [Pimblett] from the rankings,” Tsarukyan said.
Why? Tsarukyan said it's rather a matter of who Pimblett fought, and when.
"He beat the last three guys, it was [Michael] Chandler, he had three losses," Tsarukyan said. "It was Bobby Green, he had three or four losses. It was Tony Ferguson, he had eight losses. That’s crazy, and you want to bring that guy to fight for the title? You shouldn’t even mention his name, he doesn’t even deserve even mentioning his name.”
Tsarukyan says the UFC doesn’t even know which direction it’s going in, making it more confusing.
“Nobody said he’s getting the title shot,” Tsarukyan said. “So they are still figuring out who is fighting for the title, me, [Justin] Gaethje, or Paddy. But I know they’ve got to put me because I’m the No. 1 contender right now.”
Tsarukyan may have to cave into the UFC’s demands and face another lightweight contender.
“I mean, if it’s not a title fight, it’s probably Gaethje or Pimblett or Hooker,” Tsarukyan said.
But if it were up to Tsarukyan, one contender sticks out. An added bonus: he has championship experience, which is something Tsarukyan still seeks.
“If it’s Gaethje, it’s a good fight,” Tsarukyan added. “He’s a good striker, but he used to be a wrestler, so now he strikes more. It’s a good fight for me. All of them are good fights for me, so it’s easy money.”
For now, it remains to be seen what the UFC does next.
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