UFC star Arman Tsarukyan has revealed that he turned down what he deemed to be a disrespectful fight offer by the UFC for a July main event.
As we know, Arman Tsarukyan is one of the lightweight division’s top contenders. He has beaten a couple big names in the division, most notably Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira. However, after an injury led to his withdrawal from a main event title fight against Islam Makhachev, Arman has been on the outside looking in at 155 pounds.
As it turns out, Arman Tsarukyan was given the chance to compete in July – but opted to turn it down.
Arman Tsarukyan reveals July main event offer
“They [UFC] offered me a fight in Abu Dhabi in July, main event, but I turned it down because they offered me an opponent I didn’t want to fight,” Tsarukyan said. “He is below me in the rankings so I didn’t see any reason to fight him.
“In MMA, I see no reason to fight just for money. I need to fight a top 5 or top 6 opponent at the very least to make sure my next fight will be for the title. I am the number one contender, why should I give such a gift to a guy who’s ranked number 10?
“Nobody did that for me when I made it to the top 10… I didn’t want to put my spot on the line for free.”
“No, it’s the UFC who made me angry when they offered me that kind of an opponent. I would say it was disrespectful to me from their side to offer me that. I deserve better, I am the number one contender. I am not saying they should give me the title shot, just give me a contender fight.”
The opponent in question, according to reports, was Mateusz Gamrot, who defeated Tsarukyan in June 2022.
Quotes via Bloody Elbow
