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 Doesn’t Hide His ‘Hate’ For Paddy Pimblett As He Extends Invitation To Justin Gaethje Ahead Of UFC 324

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

Getting passed over for opportunities creates legitimate anger that’s hard to contain. Some fighters handle disappointment privately, processing frustration behind closed doors with their teams. Others explode publicly, letting everyone know exactly how they feel about decisions they consider unfair. And Arman Tsarukyan clearly falls in the latter category.

Tsarukyan clearly earned his lightweight title shot after dominating Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar last week. He’s the undisputed top contender based on rankings and recent performances against elite competition. But the UFC announced an interim title fight between Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje for UFC 324 instead, completely bypassing Tsarukyan. Now, the Armenian fighter is not happy and he doesn’t hide his this, and especially towards Paddy Pimblett.

Arman Tsarukyan Explodes On Paddy Pimblett

Tsarukyan held nothing back when speaking with ESPN MMA about the UFC 324 matchmaking decision. He admitted it’s a business move to build Pimblett and give him easy fights. The Armenian contender stated they’re giving Pimblett easy matchups because they know he would lose to Ilia Topuria and real fighters like Tsarukyan. Meanwhile, the actual top contenders are just watching and waiting while promotional favorites get pushed ahead.

“It’s a business to build Paddy and make him easy fights. But I hope Justin gonna beat his a** and we’re going to forget about Paddy for the rest of our lives. They give him easy fights because they know he’s going to lose to Ilia and real fighters like me are just watching and waiting.”

Tsarukyan then made a remarkable offer to help Gaethje prepare for the fight, saying he’d fly to Gaethje’s training camp if needed. He wants Gaethje to win that badly, calling Pimblett multiple variations of inappropriate names and admitting he hates the guy.

“Justin if you need help let me know, I will fly to you and help you. I want him to win; that bulls**t guy, I hate him… I hate Paddy, I wish it was Oliveira to fight Gaethje or someone different, just not Paddy. I hate that guy.”

Arman Tsarukyan is Paddy Pimblett's #1 hater 😭

"I hope Justin gonna beat his ass. I would just maul [Paddy's] face on the ground with my elbows. I'm never going for the choke, I'm gonna just elbow him all day.

Justin if you need help let me know. That bullsh*t guy, I hate him.… pic.twitter.com/Fv2afWB7K2
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 29, 2025

Tsarukyan’s frustration resonates with fans who share his belief that merit should matter most in determining title shots. Pimblett has star power and a massive following, particularly in the UK. But his resume doesn’t justify leapfrogging someone like #1 ranked Tsarukyan who’s consistently beaten ranked opponents. This has made the first UFC paramount card very infamous and underwhelming for fans.

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

Arman Tsarukyan

Justin Gaethje

Paddy Pimblett

UFC 324

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!