Alexander
Volkanovski believes Arman
Tsarukyan didn’t make a wise decision by not weighing in as the
backup fighter for the main event of the
UFC White House card.
Tsarukyan (23-3) was officially the backup fighter for the
lightweight title fight between Ilia
Topuria and Justin
Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 last weekend at the White House.
However, Tsarukyan had previously clarified that he would only
weigh in as the backup fighter if he saw some serious chance of
someone pulling out. “Ahalkalakets” eventually chose not to weigh
in as the backup and wrestled Tony
Ferguson at RAF 10 instead. Meanwhile, Diego
Lopes, who was already scheduled to fight Steve
Garcia in a featherweight matchup at the White House, also
weighed in as the backup for the main event between Topuria and
Gaethje.
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Volkanovski believes Tsarukyan hurt his chances in the
UFC by choosing not to weigh in as the backup. According to the
UFC featherweight champion, the UFC likes company men and does good
by them. Volkanovski cites the example of Lopes, who has stepped up
on short notice on multiple occasions. Lopes, in turn, has been a
part of three historical cards: UFC 300, Noche UFC at the Sphere
and UFC Freedom 250. The Brazilian also received two title shots
against Volkanovski within nine months, coming up short on both
occasions.
Better to Be a Company Man
“So, Arman not doing that I think is gonna hurt him,” Volkanovski
said on the „Bussin With the Boys” podcast. “The UFC, they
like to favor you if you do them a favor and be company man, they
will look after you. Like Lopes, look at him. Look at the
opportunities that bloke’s getting. He was at all of them [the big
events], so they’re like, ‘We’ll give him this, We’ll give him
that.’ He got two title fights in a row. You do these things,
you’re exciting, and you’re a company man… they’ll look after
you.”
Himself a company man, Volkanovski fought Islam
Makhachev in a rematch in 2023 on 12 days’ notice. Meanwhile,
Tsarukyan is already being deprived of a lightweight title shot
since pulling out of a scheduled title challenge against Islam
Makhachev last year. Not weighing in as the backup at the White
House isn’t likely to increase Tsarukyan’s chances of getting a
title shot.