Arman Tsarukyan issued his first remarks since his shocking last-second withdrawal from the UFC 311 main event.
UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan, just hours before he was scheduled to weigh in for his lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev, withdrew from the UFC 311 main event due to a back injury. Renato Moicano, who was supposed to face Beneil Dariush in a lightweight main card bout, will now face Makhachev on hours’ notice in the first UFC pay-per-view headliner of 2025.
It’s a shocking shake-up to one of the biggest UFC cards in recent memory. Tsarukyan, who rose to the top of the lightweight division after recent wins over Charles Oliveira and Dariush, will now focus on recovering from injury and eventually work his way back to the Octagon.
Makhachev’s immediate reaction to Tsarukyan’s withdrawal was shared earlier on Friday by UFC CEO Dana White on his social media pages. There was no hesitation to face a last-second title challenger as he defends his UFC pound-for-pound No. 1 ranking.
It didn’t take long for Tsarukyan to open up on what went wrong ahead of UFC 311.
Arman Tsarukyan breaks silence after stunning UFC 311 main event withdrawal
Arman Tsarukyan issued his first statement since his UFC 311 pull-out in a recent Instagram post.
🇦🇲🙏 Arman Tsarukyan speaks out after having to withdraw from UFC 311 due to an injury.
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) January 17, 2025
“IT WAS THE HARDEST DECISION I’VE EVER HAD TO MAKE IN MY LIFE”#UFC311 pic.twitter.com/1YGk855Tu3
“UFC and UFC fans, I regret to inform everyone that the news is that I had to pull out of UFC 311 with a back injury is true,” Tsarukyan said. “This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my fighting career.
“I would like to thank the UFC for understanding and I look forward to competing for my first UFC Championship in the future. Thank you all for your support.”
As of this writing, the extent of Arman Tsarukyan’s back injury hasn’t been made public, nor is a timeline for a potential return to the Octagon. After defeating Oliveira by split decision at UFC 300, Tsarukyan waited nine months for the opportunity to challenge for the UFC lightweight championship.
During a sitdown with the UFC 311 weigh-in show panel, White revealed that the promotion wasn’t aware of Tsarukyan’s lingering back injury entering fight week. But luckily, they had Moicano and Dariush on the card to fill in should anything happen with the UFC 311 headliners.
Moicano will now fight for the UFC lightweight title following recent wins over Benoit Saint-Denis, Jalin Turner, and Drew Dober. He’s been on a roll since making the move up to lightweight after a long tenure in the featherweight division.
UFC’s first pay-per-view card gets a new headliner in Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano
Makhachev will make his next UFC lightweight title defense after recent wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier. He’ll enter UFC 311 as the UFC’s pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter over fellow champions Alex Pereira and Jon Jones.
Despite the last-second opponent change, Makhachev is still eying history this weekend in Los Angeles. A win over Moicano would break a four-way tie with Khabib Nurmagomedov, BJ Penn, and Benson Henderson for the UFC’s all-time lightweight title defense record (5).
As for Tsarukyan, he’ll likely get an immediate title shot when he’s fully healthy and ready to compete. Dariush will not get a replacement opponent at UFC 311 and will be financially compensated despite his fight’s cancelation.