June 3. Devouring one caviar roll after another – it looked like Beluga – Arman Tsarukyan shared a post of himself having a grand Russian breakfast. And the clip immediately sparked a row of comments, with one ruing, “Bro just ate my monthly wages.” But jokes apart, it has been one of the standard discourses whenever Tsarukyan’s name comes up for a discussion. His wrestling continues to dazzle MMA fans across the world. Still, despite not winning a UFC title, thanks to his looks and uber-luxurious lifestyle (now so-called, perhaps), the Armenian fighter remains a star attraction.

More often than not, a few ask – if Arman Tsarukyan is so rich, what’s the need for a career in the hurt business? A close introspection might help in this case. In fact, the man in question made some startling revelations when he spoke about his father’s business. As he prepares for the tough contest against Dan Hooker, an old video of the pound-for-pound ranked contender resurfaced that might help calm the rumor mill.

Arman Tsarukyan says it plainly – he comes from a humble life, not wealth

Speaking with Platinum Mike Perry, Arman Tsarukyan shared that his hands are not dipped in riches as it is often thought. Without sounding rude or prying, Perry had asked, “Speaking of money, I heard that your family and that your family’s money comes a bit from construction, or did you guys just build entire cities?”

So Tsarukyan explained that his father was indeed into construction. However much has been made about the money he’s made over the years. “My father is just in construction, and he does, like, he has his own business,” he said, adding, “It’s not anything big, nothing, nothing like people think, like he’s a billionaire.” According to the lightweight star, his father is just a smart, hard worker.

Had he genuinely been a billionaire, Arman Tsarukyan claimed he wouldn’t have been trying so hard in his fighting career. Having said that, he joked, “Millions is not enough; billions is enough.” He pointed out how growing up in a village, his father always dreamt of wrestling and having kids who’d one day forge a career in sports.

Tsarukyan flaunting his family’s riches has backfired more than once. For instance, many held it against him and questioned his heart after he pulled out of UFC 311 in January this year. His UFC Qatar opponent, Dan Hooker, has constantly taken jibes at him, calling him ‘rich boy.’

But none of that has stopped Tsarukyan from chasing his goals. He is dedicated to fighting and uses his wealth to train at world-class facilities. The fac that he is held in high regard by Khabib Nurmagomedov, among others, speaks volumes about his skillset and mindset. Still, Tsarukyan believes in the old ‘work hard, play hard’ motto. The latest clip featured him shadowboxing with resistance bands tied to a top-of-the-line car. And he’s not the only guy who had to face the ‘rich boy’ allegations.

When DC nudged the narrative toward Tsarukyan and Topuria’s alleged affluence

Fans might as well recall the incident a few months ago. A video of Daniel Cormier speaking about Arman Tsarukyan and Ilia Topuria gained traction. “I come to find out, Ilia’s got family money. Ilia’s rich. Hey, Ilia’s got family money, and then Tsarukyan, yo, I saw Tsarukyan just housing a thousand-dollar-a-bite of caviar. He’s just housing caviar; Arman’s rich. Could you imagine two rich dudes fighting for a UFC title? Two rich dudes that didn’t get their money in fighting would be the craziest thing because rich dudes don’t fight.” His words on Good Guy / Bad Guy sent alarm bells across the MMA world.

But soon Cormier had to cut a sorry figure after several fans highlighted how Topuria built his MMA career while hustling across several jobs. True to his nature, Cormier accepted the faux pas. “Damn, I was wrong. I think Chael told me this, and I should know better than to listen to Chael! He got me again.”

So before fans and casuals once again rake up Arman Tsarukyan’s family riches, they might as well pay heed to his measured words. Will a match against Topuria become certain if Tsarukyan wins on Saturday?