Arman Tsarukyan has finally shed light on why he stepped away from his scheduled UFC 311 bout against Islam Makhachev earlier this year.
Originally, Tsarukyan, 29, cited a back injury as the reason for his last-minute withdrawal. However, speculation circulated that weight issues may have played a role, and now the fighter has indirectly confirmed those suspicions.
UFC Boss Comments
UFC President Dana White recently commented on Tsarukyan’s absence from key title opportunities.
He stated, “You know what I didn’t do, I didn’t cut him, we’re not sideways with him, we don’t dislike him. It is what it is, it’s not like I’ve confronted Arman, Arman’s a man, he knows how this played out, he knows how this all went down behind the scenes, he knows. We all f—— know… Arman knows.”
Dana White clarifies there’s no bad blood with Arman Tsarukyan 🤝
“You know what I didn’t do? We haven’t cut him, we’re not sideways with him, we don’t dislike him.”
(Via @TheMacLife) pic.twitter.com/DcmBAD0cJb
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) December 11, 2025
Tsarukyan Lets Slip The Reason
A video surfaced on social media from fight week during his recent UFC Qatar appearance. Tsarukyan, speaking to his nutritionist, made light of his prior weight struggles, joking:
“CapoNutrition is bulls—, don’t work with him.” Then he clarified, “CapNutrition this time did work 100%, we didn’t miss weight like last time,” indicating that the pullout against Makhachev was likely related to difficulties with making weight rather than solely a back injury.
did Arman Tsarukyan just accidentally admit that it was a weight miss that forced him out of the Islam Makhachev fight? 🤔
“Caponutrition, we didn’t miss weight like last time.”
via Caponutrition Instagrampic.twitter.com/yEb4dlR3cj
— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) December 12, 2025
Even after missing the Makhachev fight, Tsarukyan has kept busy. He recently scored a victory over Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar, though he still missed the interim lightweight title fight.
Beyond MMA, he is participating in grappling competitions to maintain his skills and readiness. He recently announced two upcoming matches against UFC athletes Shara Magomedov and Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov. This allows him to stay sharp while awaiting another potential UFC matchup.
