Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett will battle for the interim UFC lightweight title at UFC 324 in Las Vegas next month. Amid the absence of undisputed champion Ilia Topuria due to personal reasons, Pimblett and Gaethje will fight for the right to face Topuria upon his return to the Octagon.
This leaves consensus top contender Arman Tsarukyan once again on the outside looking into the lightweight title picture. After pulling out of his scheduled fight against Islam Makhachev just hours before UFC 311, Tsarukyan is on bad terms with the promotion and must “work his way back” to a new title contender, according to UFC CEO Dana White.
But White made some interesting comments about Tsarukyan earlier this week when asked about his standing in the lightweight division and the controversy surrounding the upcoming lightweight title fight.
Dana White: ‘Man s…’ led to Arman Tsarukyan’s title shot rejection
In a recent interview with The Mac lifeWhite hinted that there is more to the UFC’s refusal to award Tsarukyan the next lightweight title.
“He’s here. You know what I didn’t do? I didn’t cut him, I didn’t go with him,” White said of Tsarukyan. “We don’t hate him.”
“It is what it is. It’s not like I confronted Arman. Arman is a man. He knows how this happened. He knows how this all happened behind the scenes. He knows. We all know I never talk about this in public…
“There’s a lot of shit going on in this damn business, and we’re keeping it between us guys. It is what it is. Arman knows it.”
Tsarukyan has not fought since presenting Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar earlier this year. At the time of writing, it is uncertain when he will return to the Octagon, although he will likely face another up-and-coming competitor in the lightweight division.
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