Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Arman Tsarukyan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Arman Tsarukyan Eyes Backup Role For Two Of UFC’s Biggest Upcoming Fights!

#1 ranked lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan ready to be the replacement fighter for 2 massive upcoming PPV events!

Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Arman Tsarukyan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In the unpredictable world of mixed martial arts, injuries happen at the worst possible moments. Fighters pull out of massive title fights. Dreams get crushed overnight. The UFC has learned this lesson the hard way countless times. Smart promoters always keep a short list of hungry fighters ready to step in when disaster strikes. And Arman Tsarukyan knows this.

The Armenian fighter was supposed to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311 in January. Instead, a back injury forced him to withdraw just one day before the biggest fight of his career. Fans accused him of ducking the champion. His reputation took a beating. Now he’s trying to rebuild his standing by becoming the ultimate replacement fighter. He wants to serve as backup for not one but two major pay per view events coming up.

Arman Tsarukyan Volunteering For UFC 317 And UFC 318 Main Event Replacement

Arman Tsarukyan has officially thrown his hat in the ring as a potential replacement for UFC 317 on June 28th. That card features Ilia Topuria fighting against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight tilte in Las Vegas.

“I’m not sure if that’s needed, but if they offered me [backup role for UFC 317 main event] it I will definitely back it up.”

Arman Tsarukyan says he’ll be ready to jump in as a replacement if someone gets injured in either the Topuria vs. Oliveira or Poirier vs. Holloway fight. 💥

"I need to take risks now because of my injury. It wasn’t described accurately, and some people think I’m just ducking the… pic.twitter.com/ng3Wz8Nb4m
— MMA Pros Pick (@MMA_PROS_PICK_) June 1, 2025

The Armenian fighter also volunteered for UFC 318 on July 19th in New Orleans. That event will feature the trilogy fight between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway. The BMF title will be at stake in this fight. These two legends have already fought twice before, with their rivalry spanning over a decade. Poirier won their first encounter back in 2012 as well as the second fight in 2019. Tsarukyan is ready to take either fighter if one of them backs out.

“I will be ready. I’m flying back to the US now and will be staying there in case anyone is injured and they ask me if I’m ready. I will say yes. Absolutely positive.”

Tsarukyan’s willingness to step in on short notice shows his desperation to repair his damaged reputation. He’s flying back to the United States and staying there just in case someone gets injured. This level of commitment might seem extreme, but it makes perfect sense from his perspective. One successful short-notice performance could erase all the negative publicity from the UFC 311 situation.

(Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – Imagn Images)

Arman Tsarukyan

Charles Oliveira

Dustin Poirier

Ilia Topuria

Max Holloway

UFC 317

UFC 318

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!