Fresh off his victory against Charles Oliveira at UFC 300, Arman Tsarukyan surprised many by turning down the chance for a title shot at UFC 302. This bold decision stirred controversy, with fellow contenders like Michael Chandler questioning his motives.
Chandler didn’t hold back in criticizing Tsarukyan for passing up the opportunity to face Islam Makhachev on short notice. However, Tsarukyan swiftly fired back. He asserted that he’s focused on title aspirations rather than chasing paychecks. He also called out Chandler’s own history of waiting for lucrative matches, suggesting a lack of commitment to legacy.
Tsarukyan wrote: “I don’t expect you to understand @MikeChandlerMMA. We are not on the same level. I am here to be the champ. You are just waiting for a paycheck. I also don’t understand why you waited Conor fight for 2 years, you could’ve lost 4 exciting fights during that time.”
Tsarukyan defended his decision, emphasizing the need for proper preparation before facing a formidable opponent like Makhachev.
The Armenian basically told Chandler off that he wasn’t on the same level as him. Tsarukyan further said that the American cared more about money than legacy.
Chandler started this discussion a few days ago when he said that Tsarukyan lost out on something and that “this sport moves fast.” But Tsarukyan cannot be entirely blamed since he would undoubtedly need time to fully recover before taking on a formidable opponent such as Islam Makhachev.
Defending his position on The MMA Hour, the 27-year-old said: “I said, ‘I gotta think,’ and it was like, what, seven weeks left, and I can’t return too fast so I gotta rest a little bit and have a camp. And if it was at the end of June, yea, I would take that fight because I have at least 10 weeks. You know — two weeks’ rest and eight weeks for preparation.”
Reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev weighed in on Tsarukyan’s decision, expressing little surprise. He pointed out Tsarukyan’s history of hesitance in accepting matches against him, suggesting a pattern of avoidance.
Makhachev wrote: “I’m not surprised because this guy talks about rematch all his life, but I don’t remember, maybe this third or fourth time UFC gave him a chance to fight with me and he say no. The UFC told me ‘we give you opponent after UFC 300’, I knew if Arman beat [Charles] Oliveira, he [would] never take this fight. That’s why I’m not surprised.”