Islam Makhachev Questions UFC Matchmaking as Arman Tsarukyan Misses Out on Title Shot
Two-division champion Islam Makhachev is confused after witnessing the UFC’s recent wave of matchmaking. The promotion has faced a lot of heat from fans for leaving out number one contender Arman Tsarukyan and giving Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett a shot at the interim lightweight strap, in champion Ilia Topuria’s absence.
The company also announced UFC 325, in which Alexander Volkanovski will run it back with Diego Lopes. The MMA community and Volkanovski had assumed the next featherweight title challenger would either be Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy, but the UFC announced Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2.
Recently, in an interview with Red Corner MMA, Islam Makhachev gave his thoughts about Arman Tsarukyan being denied a title shot. Advising the Armenian fighter to be patient, he said:
“They make more and more fights that I don’t understand. Let’s be honest, Arman isn’t going to fight any time soon. It’s Pimblett vs Gaethje. Whoever wins gets a shot at Topuria. Meaning one more year of layoff for Arman. It’s tough. Arman should probably wait a bit and be patient.”
Check out Islam Makhachev’s comments for Arman Tsarukyan below:
Dana White explains Arman Tsarukyan didn’t get title shot
Because of back pain, Arman Tsarukyan withdrew from his UFC 311 title fight against then-champion Islam Makhachev. The promotion was not happy with the last-minute pullout. White said earlier this year that Tsarukyan is going back to the drawing board and will have to work his way up to get another title shot.
To get back in the good books, Tsarukyan made weight for the UF 317 headliner, serving as the official backup for the fight. He recently secured a submission victory over Dan Hooker and called out champion Ilia Topuria for a title shot. But Topuria decided to go on a break for personal reasons, and in the meantime, the promotion announced UFC 324. Tsarukyan wanted a shot at the BMF strap after not getting a shot at the undisputed gold. However, the UFC also denied him that, announcing Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira 2 for UFC 326.
This past weekend, UFC CEO Dana White told the media what Arman Tsarukyan has to do for another title shot:
“He’s gonna have to work his way back. I don’t give a sh*t what the number says.”
Check out Dana White’s comments below:
