Top-ranked UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan said that he has mixed feelings about being the backup for the upcoming title fight.
UFC president Dana White recently confirmed that Tsarukyan, the No. 2-ranked lightweight in the UFC rankings, will be the backup fighter for the upcoming lightweight title fight at UFC Freedom 250. That matchup features champion Ilia Topuria taking on interim champion Justin Gaethje in a title-unification bout. Should anything happen to either of these two fighters in the lead-up to the bout, then Tsarukyan will be the one who steps into the fight. But, as is the nature of being a backup fighter, there is no guarantee that Tsarukyan will compete, and he has mixed feelings about it.
Arman Tsarukyan Speaks About Being Backup for Upcoming Title Fight
Speaking on the JAXXON Podcast, Tsarukyan gave his honest thoughts about being the backup for the upcoming lightweight title unification bout at UFC Freedom 250 between Topuria and Gaethje.
“I’m excited; if something happens, they call me. I’m the first guy, who’s going to jump in, and I’m getting ready for that. I’m already on my diet. It always sucks to be backup, but I have to do this, you know?” Tsarukyan said (via MMAjunkie.com).
According to Tsarukyan, the one good thing about this fight in particular is that, since Topuria and Gaethje prefer to strike, he won’t have to bring in two sets of partners into his training camp.
“They’re pretty same, they don’t wrestle, right? They strike, right? If one guy was a wrestler and one guy was a striker, yeah, you have to bring two sparring partners – one striker, one wrestler. I just need a striker because they’re not going to shoot and try to take you down,” Tsarukyan said.
Arman Tsarukyan Deserves a Lightweight Title Shot
It goes without saying that Tsarukyan deserves the chance to fight for the lightweight title, and this title shot is several years overdue at this point.
In April 2024 at UFC 300, Tsarukyan defeated UFC legend Charles Oliveira for the biggest win of his MMA career to date. That earned Tsarukyan a title shot against former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January 2025. However, he withdrew the day before the fight after suffering a back injury while cutting weight. The UFC has essentially put him in title purgatory since then, as he has fought just once, a submission win over Dan Hooker last November. Otherwise, Tsarukyan has basically been on the bench.
The good news is that it looks like Tsarukyan is finally out of UFC president Dana White’s doghouse, as he was tabbed the backup fighter for the upcoming lightweight title bout at UFC Freedom 250. While he would surely rather get the title shot straight up with no strings attached, this is the next best thing.
We will see if Tsarukyan does end up filling in for either Topuria or Gaethje, but either way, he is going to get prepared for this bout and will do everything in his power to make sure he’s ready for it.
Arman Tsarukyan Mixed Feelings Being Backup for Lightweight Belt