Justin Gaethje: Arman Tsarukyan is being blamed for his own UFC woes

Justin Gaethje holds Arman Tsarukyan responsible for his own situation. Despite Tsarukyan being the top lightweight prospect, he is being sidelined from the title picture. While the champion, Ilia Topuria, takes a short break, Gaethje (26-5) will fight Paddy Pimblett (23-3) for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Saturday in Las Vegas. Gaethje believes Tsarukyan is responsible for the situation he finds himself in. Gaethje notes that “Ahalkalakets” has irked the UFC several times by withdrawing from a title fight and then headbutting his opponent before a fight.

Multiple errors

“Tsarukyan probably deserves more,” Gaethje told New York Post Sports. “But the man has made multiple mistakes, and this is something you can’t do. He wanted to fight for the title, he pulled out the night before because he couldn’t make weight or… I don’t think any of us are aware of what happened that night… They put a lot of money, time and resources into promoting a fight, and if you mess it up like that, they’re going to get mad. Then he headbutts Dan Hooker on the scales. That’s also something you can’t do. He risked losing another fight the day before the fight.”Tsarukyan (23-3) initially disappointed the UFC by withdrawing from a title fight against Islam Makhachev last year. When Makhachev vacated the title and moved up, Tsarukyan was denied the title shot. Tsarukyan played a backup role as Topuria defeated Charles Oliveira to win the vacant title. While Tsarukyan continued to call for a title shot, Topuria expressed interest in fighting Paddy Pimblett.

Meanwhile, Gaethje threatened to retire if she was denied a title shot. Tsarukyan hoped to secure a title shot with his victory over Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar last November. However, headbutting Hooker at the weigh-ins probably didn’t help Tsarukyan’s case. Tsarukyan had also thrown a punch at a fan while walking before his UFC 300 match against Oliveira in 2024.