Tag: arman tsarukyan

Khabib Nurmagomedov Shares Candid Thoughts on Arman Tsarukyan’s UFC 311 Withdrawal

Khabib Nurmagomedov Shares Candid Thoughts on Arman Tsarukyan's UFC 311 WithdrawalKhabib Nurmagomedov wishes nothing but the best for Arman Tsarukyan. Hours away from his first shot at UFC gold,…

Khabib Nurmagomedov Shares Candid Thoughts on Arman Tsarukyan's UFC 311 Withdrawal

Khabib Nurmagomedov wishes nothing but the best for Arman Tsarukyan.

Hours away from his first shot at UFC gold, Tsarukyan was forced to bow out of Saturday’s headliner against Islam Makhachev in Los Angeles due to an injured back. The news came as a shock to fighters and fans alike, but fortunately, the UFC was able to pluck another top-10 fighter from the card and insert them into the main event with relative ease.

That man being none other than rising lightweight star Renato Moicano.

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While backstage at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins in Inglewood, Makhachev’s coach and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, offered his take on the sudden shake-up and shared some words of encouragement to Tsarukyan, recalling a similar incident he himself endured during his own race to the lightweight title.

“Honestly, I knew this yesterday, at 1 A.M. before I sleep. Honestly, this can happen with anybody. If you guys remember [in] 2017, March, it happened with me too. Then after that, I go to hospital, make surgery, come back and I tell UFC, ‘It was my mistake, give me other best guy. I’m going to beat this guy and deserve my title shot.’ It was the same thing with me. I just want to wish him all the best. He’s young. He’s tough. He can come back. He [has] to survive this situation and come back,” (h/t Sportskeeda).

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Khabib Refuses to underestimate ‘money’ moicano

Unsurprisingly, Makhachev is a massive -1100 favorite to come out on top against Moicano inside the Intuit Dome. Despite those wide odds, ‘The Eagle’ knows that counting out someone as dangerous and experienced as ‘Money’ would be a massive mistake.

“Now, new main event. I think with Moicano, he has very big experience in the UFC… 10, 11 years in UFC. He [has four-fight] win streak, and he’s on his prime. It’s a good fight. Of course, it’s not like Arman and Islam, but it’s still very competitive fight, and we [are] not going to underestimate this guy.”

Moicano goes into his first UFC title opportunity riding a four-fight win streak and a winner in six of his last seven, including Ws against notable names like Drew Dober, Jalin Turner, and Benoit Saint-Denis.

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No Worries for Islam Makhachev as He Prepares to Fight Renato Moicano at UFC 311

No Worries for Islam Makhachev as He Prepares to Fight Renato Moicano at UFC 311Islam Makhachev doesn’t really care who’s standing across from him at UFC 311. Up until a few short hours…

No Worries for Islam Makhachev as He Prepares to Fight Renato Moicano at UFC 311

Islam Makhachev doesn’t really care who’s standing across from him at UFC 311.

Up until a few short hours ago, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ was prepared to defend his lightweight title against the division’s top-ranked contender, Arman Tsarukayn, on Saturday night inside the Intuit Dome in L.A. However, that is no longer the case after ‘Ahalkalakets’ was forced to bow out of the bout on Friday morning due to a back injury.

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Instead, Makhachev will put his gold on the line against rising star Renato Moicano who was originally set to face perennial contender Beneil Dariush as part of the evening’s main card.

When UFC CEO Dana White broke the news during Friday’s official weigh-in show, he insisted that Makhachev was willing to take on anyone the promotion chose to put in front of him. Makhachev echoed a similar sentiment on social media not long after news of Moicano’s move up the card made waves.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Islam_Makhachev (@islam_makhachev)

“What does this title represent?,” Makhachev wrote on Instagram. “It means you are the best in the world and if you are the best in the world, it doesn’t matter who’s going to be standing across from you. What do I say? No? NEVER. Let’s do this!”

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Islam Makhachev is a massive betting favorite against ‘money’ moicano

Unsurprisingly, Makhachev emerged as a massive -1100 favorite to come out on top against Moicano, meaning that if you want to win $100 betting on the Dagestani, you’ll have to throw down $1,100.

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For what it’s worth, Moicano goes into the short-notice title tilt with the longest active win streak at lightweight, including wins against Drew Dober and Jalin Turner, and an absolutely dominant performance against Benoit Saint-Denis in his last outing.

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‘Money’ currently sits at a +700 underdog. That means a $100 bet on the Brazilian could net you $700 should he score what would be one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history.

Arman Tsarukyan Issues Statement Following UFC 311 Withdrawal

Arman Tsarukyan Issues Statement Following UFC 311 WithdrawalArman Tsarukyan is shedding some light on his shocking withdrawal from Saturday’s UFC 311 headliner in Los Angeles. Emanating…

Arman Tsarukyan Issues Statement Following UFC 311 Withdrawal

Arman Tsarukyan is shedding some light on his shocking withdrawal from Saturday’s UFC 311 headliner in Los Angeles.

Emanating from the Intuit Dome, ‘Ahalkalakets’ was scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title in the evening’s main event. However, Tsarukyan left fight fans shocked when UFC CEO Dana White revealed during Friday’s official weigh-in show that he had bowed out of the bout due to a back injury.

Few other details about Tsarukyan’s exit had been offered up to that point, but before long, the Armenian took to social media and offered some insight into his injury and the difficult decision to pull out of his golden opportunity.

“I regret to inform everyone that the news is that I had to pull out of UFC 311 with a back injury is true,” Tsarukyan wrote on Instagram. “This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my fighting career. I would like to thank the UFC for understanding and I look forward to competing for my first UFC Championship in the future. Thank you all for your support.”

Tsarukyan is out, Moicano is in

Now, Islam Makhachev will defend his title against the lightweight division’s 10th-ranked contender, Renato Moicano.

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Money’ was originally set to compete on the main card against perennial contender Beneil Dariush. Unfortunately for Dariush, there was no time to secure him a replacement opponent.

“Family and friends, unfortunately, I’m not fighting tomorrow,” Dariush wrote on Instagram. “Due to changes in the card I been left as the odd man out. I appreciate Dana White and UFC for giving me an opportunity to fight in my hometown and taking care of me even though I’m not fighting. I believe God has something better for me and I will wait faithfully to see how it unfolds.”

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Islam Makhachev Reacts To Late-Notice UFC 311 Opponent Change: ‘It Doesn’t Matter Who’

Islam Makhachev remains unfazed by whoever stands across from him in the Octagon on Saturday night, as he’s focused on accomplishing the task at hand. Makhachev was initially slated to defend his lightweight title against former rival Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC 311 this weekend at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. […]

Islam Makhachev remains unfazed by whoever stands across from him in the Octagon on Saturday night, as he’s focused on accomplishing the task at hand.

Makhachev was initially slated to defend his lightweight title against former rival Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC 311 this weekend at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

However, on Friday morning, the headliner took an unforeseen turn when UFC CEO Dana White announced that “Ahalkalakets” had been forced to withdraw from the rematch due to a back injury.

Makhachev will now square off against Renato Moicano in the newly revamped main event of UFC 311. Originally scheduled to face Beneil Dariush in a 155-pound clash on the main card, “Money” has now seized the eleventh-hour opportunity to challenge for the UFC title after Tsarukyan’s injury sidelined the original matchup.

The Dagestani champion embraced the unanticipated shift, proudly echoing his own quote, which White had prominently displayed on the walls of the UFC Performance Institute.

“‘What does this title represent? It means you’re the best in the world and if you’re the best in the world, it doesn’t matter who’s going to be standing across from you. What do I say? No? NEVER. Let’s do this!’” Makhachev wrote on X.

Makhachev is riding a remarkable 14-fight win streak, with his most recent appearance at UFC 303 in June 2024. There, he secured a gritty fifth-round submission victory over Dustin Poirier to successfully retain his title.

Meanwhile, Moicano is on a four-fight win streak and has been relentless since his move to the 155-pound division, boasting six victories in his last seven bouts. “Money” enters this title fight on the back of a dominant second-round TKO (doctor’s stoppage) over Benoît Saint Denis at UFC Paris in September.

Arman Tsarukyan’s First Statement On UFC 311 Withdrawal: ‘Hardest Decision I’ve Ever Had To Make’

Arman Tsarukyan has spoken publicly following his decision to pull out of Saturday’s UFC 311 pay-per-view. Tsarukyan is currently in Los Angeles, where he had hoped to avenge his 2019 loss to Islam Makhachev to capture the lightweight crown and cement himself among the all-time top names at 155 pounds. But the chance to do […]

Arman Tsarukyan has spoken publicly following his decision to pull out of Saturday’s UFC 311 pay-per-view.

Tsarukyan is currently in Los Angeles, where he had hoped to avenge his 2019 loss to Islam Makhachev to capture the lightweight crown and cement himself among the all-time top names at 155 pounds.

But the chance to do so will have to wait, with the Armenian withdrawing from the opening numbered event of 2025 just one day out after injuring his back while cutting weight.

The news was first reported by Red Corner MMA before being confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White, who also revealed that Renato Moicano has been pulled from his original showdown with Beneil Dariush to challenge Makhachev in tomorrow night’s headliner.

A clearly devastated Tsarukyan, meanwhile, recently took to social media with his first remarks since the disappointing revelation emerged.

“I regret to inform everyone that the news is that I had to pull out of UFC 311 with a back injury is true. This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my fighting career. I would like to thank the UFC for understanding and I look forward to competing for my first UFC Championship in the future. Thank you all for your support.”

Arman Tsarukyan’s First Statement On UFC 311 Withdrawal: ‘Hardest Decision I’ve Ever Had To Make’

Arman Tsarukyan has spoken publicly following his decision to pull out of Saturday’s UFC 311 pay-per-view. Tsarukyan is currently in Los Angeles, where he had hoped to avenge his 2019 loss to Islam Makhachev to capture the lightweight crown and cement himself among the all-time top names at 155 pounds. But the chance to do […]

Arman Tsarukyan has spoken publicly following his decision to pull out of Saturday’s UFC 311 pay-per-view.

Tsarukyan is currently in Los Angeles, where he had hoped to avenge his 2019 loss to Islam Makhachev to capture the lightweight crown and cement himself among the all-time top names at 155 pounds.

But the chance to do so will have to wait, with the Armenian withdrawing from the opening numbered event of 2025 just one day out after injuring his back while cutting weight.

The news was first reported by Red Corner MMA before being confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White, who also revealed that Renato Moicano has been pulled from his original showdown with Beneil Dariush to challenge Makhachev in tomorrow night’s headliner.

A clearly devastated Tsarukyan, meanwhile, recently took to social media with his first remarks since the disappointing revelation emerged.

“I regret to inform everyone that the news is that I had to pull out of UFC 311 with a back injury is true. This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my fighting career. I would like to thank the UFC for understanding and I look forward to competing for my first UFC Championship in the future. Thank you all for your support.”