LAS VEGAS – Dana White could not care less about Arman Tsarukyan being ranked No. 1 in the UFC lightweight rankings. As far as the UFC boss is concerned, Tsarukyan has more work to do to earn a title shot.
“I wouldn’t say that he’s the odd man out,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters Saturday after UFC 323. “He had an opportunity, and you guys know how that played out. He’s gonna have to work his way back. I don’t give a shit what the number says. He’s gonna have to work his way back. It’s just too much goes into this for those type of things to happen.”
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White’s call back is to January, when Tsarukyan pulled out of his title fight with then-champion Islam Makhachev on UFC 311 weigh-ins day, which prompted the promotion to elevate Renato Moicano from his fight with Beneil Dariush in order to save the main event. Tsarukyan couldn’t make it to the scale because of a severe back injury caused by his weight cut.
Since then, White seemingly has held a grudge against Tsarukyan, but serving this past June as the UFC 317 backup fighter for the vacant title fight between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira indicated all was right. Then Tsarukyan returned to the octagon last month with a dominant second-round submission of Dan Hooker in the UFC Qatar main event to maintain his No. 1 ranking.
More: Arman Tsarukyan disappointed over UFC title snub: ‘I couldn’t believe’
That’s why it shocked many, including Tsarukyan himself, that the UFC excluded him from the upcoming interim lightweight title fight. Instead, the promotion booked Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett, who are ranked Nos. 4 and 5 respectively, to headline UFC 324 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas.
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On Saturday, White didn’t hide the fact that he’s still holding a grudge against Tsarukyan for his UFC 311 withdrawal and that he’ll just have to deal with it.
“You can’t do that,” White said. “You can’t get the opportunity and then – it can’t end that way. He’s got to work his way back. … He knows what’s going on. I don’t give a sh*t what everybody else says. He knows what’s going on, and he’s got to work his way back to that title shot.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White: Arman Tsarukyan must ‘work his way back’ to UFC title shot
