Justin Gaethje believes Arman Tsarukyan didn’t hurt his back before UFC 311 and just used it as an excuse to pull out.

For context, last year, Tsarukyan was supposed to run it back with then-155-pound champion Islam Makhachev. However, at the last moment, the Armenian said he hurt his back (later revealed he had a hernia), and he had to pull out, after which Renato Moicano served as a replacement and got submitted by Makhachev in the first round.

After the pullout, Tsarukyan was sent back to the drawing board, and although he won his next fight dominantly, he still has not received a title shot to date.

The 29-year-old’s antics inside and outside the octagon, plus the UFC 311 pullout, are why the UFC brass has not given him a second chance yet.

Meanwhile, the now 155-pound champion Justin Gaethje, while speaking about Tsarukyan, added that the latter must have failed to make weight for the Makhachev fight and therefore decided to pull out. According to Gaethje, if Tsarukyan really hurt his back and had a medical report, he would not be suffering like this. The Highlight” told Demetrious Johnson:

“He was gonna fight Islam Makhachev for the belt and he dropped out the night before… The truth is he wasn’t gonna make weight so he dropped out… If he really hurt his back there would have been a whole report on paper with the UFC, he would not be suffering like this… Maybe his body was shutting down and he couldn’t make weight, it happens. Or maybe he’s like, my body was shutting down.”

Check out Justin Gaethje’s comments below:

Justin Gaethje wants Mauricio Ruffy to hit Arman Tsarukyan “really hard”

Arman Tsarukyan is slated to lock horns with Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331. The winner could march forward to challenge Justin Gaethje potentially next year. Talking about this bout, Gaethje told “Mighty Mouse” during the same interview that:

“I hope he gets hit really hard. I hope Arman gets hit hard. It would be fun to see… I don’t hate Arman. I would rather see him getting hit hard than see him get on top of [Mauricio Ruffy] and win.”

(Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)

Subham

Subham is a writer and editor with experience spanning MMA, Health & Fitness, true crime, and pop culture. He has previously worked with Sportskeeda MMA, SK True Crime, and SK Pop, Movies, and Shows.
He currently covers the UFC for LowKickMMA and MMA Pros Picks.