Arman Tsarukyan has issued his first statement since being forced out of the UFC 311 main event with Islam Makhachev.
During Friday’s official weigh-ins ahead of the UFC’s first pay-per-view event of the year, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Tsarukyan would no longer challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship due to injury, and that Renato Moicano would step in. On his Instagram page, Tsarukyan said the decision to withdraw from his second opportunity to face Makhachev was not an easy one.
“UFC and UFC fans,” Tsarykyan wrote. “I regret to inform everyone that the news is that I had to pull out of UFC 311 with a back injury is true. 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.”
-Tsarukyan lost a competitive decision to Makhachev in his UFC debut in 2019, and earned his way back to a rematch with the now-champ after defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 this past April.
