In early 2025, Arman Tsarukyan looked ready to seize the biggest opportunity of his career. The #1 lightweight in the world, fresh off wins over Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, was scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the title at UFC 311. But just 24 hours before the fight, everything collapsed. A sudden back injury, a brutal weight cut, and a frantic message to the UFC forced Tsarukyan to pull out of the biggest bout of his life.

So what exactly happened that week? What injury stopped one of the toughest contenders in the division? And how did the UFC manage to save the main event at the last second?

Arman Tsarukyan’s Sudden Back Injury at UFC 311: Lower Back Strain & Sciatic Nerve Problem

According to early reports from Red Corner MMA, the Armenian suffered an injury just hours before the highly anticipated clash. Their social media post read, “Arman Tsarukyan is out of his #UFC311 fight with Islam Makhachev due to injury. Sources say the UFC is working on finding a replacement for Makhachev.” In response to the situation, UFC CEO Dana White took to social media to address the matter directly.

Dana White confirmed the news on Instagram and revealed Arman Tsarukyan’s substitute for the fight against Islam Makhachev, saying, “I have some breaking news for you this morning. Around 1 AM, we received a call from Arman Tsarukyan, who informed us that he was experiencing significant back pain due to an injury. He feels he’s not healthy enough to compete, so he’s out of the fight. Stepping in to face Islam Makhachev for the title will be Renato Moicano.”

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Weight Cutting Complications: How Dehydration Worsened Tsarukyan’s Condition

The trouble began quietly. Tsarukyan had completed his final Wednesday training session, feeling strong and on track. But once he lay down to sleep, the pain hit him like a sudden strike.

On The Ariel Helwani Show, Tsarukyan recounted the moment his body betrayed him as he shared, “Everything was good [until] last day. Wednesday after training, I went to sleep and I started to feel my lower back and I couldn’t sleep all night.”

He assumed it was minor. He took painkillers but nothing changed. By Thursday morning, even simple movement felt impossible. Still, he convinced himself he could push through, fighters always do. Then, during the press conference, he tried to reset mentally. But the problem wasn’t mental. 

It was physical, and it was getting worse as he further shared, “After press conference, I’m gonna start my weight cut. When I started my weight cut, I was doing bike and like that moment, my back [was] like stuck and I couldn’t move. I just laid down. It was crazy pain. I couldn’t do cardio…”

He revealed that the UFC’s medical team immediately stepped in, diagnosing a lower-back spasm that had likely triggered sciatic nerve irritation. They attempted physical therapy and reassured him, “’You’re gonna be alright in the morning. If you’re gonna feel the same, you can continue cut your weight.’”

But by the time morning arrived, nothing had improved. In fact, it got worse. Weight cutting is already one of the most dangerous parts of MMA. But with a compromised back, dehydration can turn a manageable injury into a medical emergency.

Tsarukyan said he went to bed with six pounds left to cut, hoping the pain would ease overnight. Instead, it locked his body even further as he continued, “So, and I was like six pounds left when I went to sleep and the pain was same and like 5:00 AM I just said my manager, it’s the same pain. I couldn’t move, my lower back stuck. I cannot continue.”

At that point, the promotion had one job left: save the main event. And that opened the door for a veteran lightweight who wasn’t preparing for Islam Makhachev at all.

Renato Moicano’s Last-Minute Call-Up: Islam Makhachev’s New Opponent on Short Notice

For the reigning lightweight champion at the time, Islam Makhachev, it didn’t matter who the promotion put in front of him, whether it was Arman Tsarukyan, Renato Moicano, Beneil Dariush, or anyone else. The only thing that mattered to the Dagestani sensation was to fight. Despite Tsarukyan withdrawing from the fight, the Dagestani juggernaut remained unfazed by the change in opponent.

Shortly after Dana White made Tsarukyan’s pullout official, Makhachev took to Instagram, posting a picture of himself alongside Renato Moicano. He shared a powerful caption that echoed the sentiment written on the wall of the UFC Performance Institute gym. The quote Makhachev wrote was: “What does this title represent? 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!”

Moreover, the Dagestani also sent a cheeky message to the head honcho via his Instagram story. It read, “@danawhite Now you understand what is the meaning p4p”. For fans of the sport, the message was clear and directed towards White’s reluctance to not accept the Dagestani as the best Pound for Pound fighter in the world in favor of longtime favorite Jon Jones.

Interestingly, both Arman Tsarukyan and Moicano trained at the same gym, the American Top Team (ATT), under the same head coach, which made the opponent switch more feasible. With that, the title fight was saved, but the biggest bout of Tsarukyan’s career was gone. And now, months removed from that chaotic weekend and heading into his UFC Fight Night 265 main event against Dan Hooker in Qatar, one question lingers: when Tsarukyan finally gets a second shot at the lightweight title, will his body hold together long enough to seize the moment he lost in California?