Arman Tsarukyan Blamed in Calls for Concern Over Charles Oliveira as Dana White Makes Ilia Topuria Fight Official

It’s official—Islam Makhachev has finally vacated his lightweight crown in pursuit of a goal that even Khabib Nurmagomedov could not achieve. A second UFC title! “If Della Maddalena was the champion, Islam would fight him for sure. As far as I see it, the UFC are waiting for the event in May, where Belal and Maddalena are set to fight each other.” Nurmagomedov predicted the future of his protégé in an interview with Adam Zubayraev.

And after Della Maddalena’s stunning title win over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, Makhachev can now turn his full focus to chasing double-champ status. But with the lightweight throne left vacant, the UFC isn’t wasting time! Brace for fireworks at UFC 317 as Dana White dropped some blockbuster news: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira will headline the International Fight Week card for the vacant undisputed lightweight title.

While Topuria eyes history, fans are sounding the alarm—can ‘Do Bronx’ weather the storm? Well, fans fear that the Brazilian might share the same fate as Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, as Topuria is known to be a legend killer. And guess who’s to blame here? Arman Tsarukyan! You got that right. At least, that is the fan sentiment. But why? At UFC 311, Tsarukyan was scheduled to fight Makhachev, but the Armenian pulled out of the fight a day before due to a back injury.

After the hiccup, Dana White stated that Tsarukyan would have to start from the very beginning if he wants to fight for the title. Since that announcement, the Armenian has been competing outside of the UFC in Karate Combat. Moreover, he has been inactive since his last outing against Oliveira at UFC 300.

On the other hand, Topuria’s lightweight title bout was long overdue. According to ‘El Matador’, when he vacated his featherweight title to move up to lightweight, he was promised a title fight with Makhachev by the UFC. Well, now that the Dagestani has vacated his title, who comes in second? The Brazilian former champion! Interestingly, both of them share animosity toward each other.

It all started when Topuria pointed out Oliveira’s shaky start to his MMA career: “Charles, it’s better if you stay quiet. You have 10 losses: 5 by knockout, 4 by submission, and 1 by decision. You are the contender, while I am the champion, the father of the entire division. I haven’t come here to ask anything. Here, I am the one in charge.”

That’s not all — Topuria even took a shot at Brazilian culture, much like Conor McGregor did during his banter with Jose Aldo back in 2015. “Actually, yes, to give him a bit of culture and teach him something, because it’s obvious that kid hasn’t even read a single page of a newspaper. Another question, please, because this isn’t a good time to talk about someone like him.”

Responding to the blatant attacks by Ilia Topuria, Oliveira, “I’ve been in the UFC for 15 years and I’ve never spoken poorly about anyone… I think [Topuria] was disrespectful with what he said… I just want to remind everyone that the toughest division is lightweight,” ‘Do Bronx’ told Ag Fight.

It’s worth noting that Tsarukyan’s absence from the lightweight title picture is a major talking point. Why? Well, the UFC may be punishing the top contender for his actions at UFC 311, as mentioned already. Regardless, let’s take a look at how the MMA community reacted to the fight.

The MMA community is in fear for Charles Oliveira as Dana White finalises the UFC 317 headliner against Ilia Topuria

Starting off, we have a fan who believes that Tsarukyan might have sabotaged his career by pulling out of his fight against Islam Makhachev: “Arman really ruined his career with that pull-out.”

Moreover, a fan believes that Charles Oliveira doesn’t deserve the title shot: “So, does Bronx get dominated by Arman, beat the worst LW contender, and get a title shot?” Why? Well, that’s because Tsarukyan defeated Oliveira at UFC 300, and then ‘Do Bronx’ fought Michael Chandler at UFC 309, ultimately winning that battle. The fan feels that Oliveira should have secured more impressive victories to earn a title shot.

A social media user was even worried about the fate of Charles Oliveira, “I’m worried for my boy Charles, ngl.”Why is that? Well, Ilia Topuria has defeated legends like Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway by knockout, back-to-back. This dominance from ‘El Matador’ has fans believing that he might just do the unthinkable against Oliveira as well. Furthermore, another fan appears to be fearful, “Charles is getting chinned bro.”

The lightweight division was in a dilemma for a long time as Topuria, Oliveira, and Tsarukyan all came forward to assert that they are the number-one contenders for the gold. This clogged the progression of the division, but it seems that things will finally start moving in the right direction, “4 guys claiming they’re the number 1 contender yet Islam has to vacate.” 

Last but not least, a fan took shots at Jon Jones: “Everyone gets stripped except Jon Jones.” As the date of the fight draws near, the MMA community eagerly awaits the arrival of its new lightweight champion. So, who do you think will emerge victorious at UFC 317? Share your thoughts in the comments below.