Do Dana White and Co. really dislike top-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan? The MMA world has been asking this ever since the promotion snubbed him for a title shot. Instead, the UFC CEO announced that Justin Gaethje will face Paddy Pimblett for the lightweight interim title next month at UFC 324 on January 24. As a result, Tsarukyan ended up on the sidelines, despite his strong performance at UFC Qatar last November.

Dana White still remains unconvinced. “I don’t give a s*** what the number is.” He insists that the Armenian-Russian star must go back to the “drawing board” after compromising the UFC 311 event. Meanwhile, critics, media members, and analysts have spoken out against the promotion for overlooking Arman Tsarukyan, and also White’s “dislike” towards him. Finally, White has broken his silence.

Dana White clarifies his stance on Tsarukyan, blasts media speculation

“Make it make sense,” Arman Tsarukyan reacted after hearing Dana White’s announcement regarding the lightweight interim title fight. Since then, ‘Ahalkalakets’ has appeared unsettled, posting multiple videos online as the media amplified the situation, suggesting a rift between him and the promotion.

Despite the speculation, Dana White emphasized that there is no bad blood between them. “He’s here. You know what I didn’t do? We haven’t cut him. We’re not sideways with him. We don’t dislike him,” Dana White told The MacLife.

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Even so, for Dana White and the UFC leadership, that hasn’t resolved everything. As White explained, much more is happening behind the scenes. “It’s not like I’ve confronted Arman,” Dana White said, “And you know, Arman’s a man. He knows. He knows how this played out. He knows how this all went down behind the scenes. He knows. We all f—–g know.”

After withdrawing from the UFC 311 title fight against Islam Makhachev in January, Arman Tsarukyan has worked to make amends for his previous misstep. He made weight as a backup for the vacated UFC title fight at UFC 317 and, just last month, delivered a first-round knockout against Dan Hooker.

“I don’t ever talk about this shit publicly because you guys are like bunch of f—ing old ladies and anything that you can get clicks on and f—ing keep bringing up and all this shit. A lot of man shit happens in this f—ing business and we keep it between us men, and we, it is what it is,” UFC CEO added.

Although the Gaethje vs. Pimblett announcement disappointed Arman Tsarukyan, he continues to pursue his goal of becoming champion as he prepares for his upcoming grappling match. He may have to wait longer for his opportunity, but it still remains well within his reach.

Tsarukyan addresses being left out of UFC interim lightweight title showdown

Arman Tsarukyan has long understood he wasn’t next in line for the title, especially with fans expecting Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett to headline UFC 324 in January. But when reports emerged that Topuria was dealing with issues in his marriage, the champion stepped away from competition, allowing the UFC to move forward with an interim title fight between ‘The Baddy’ and Justin Gaethje.

Tsarukyan, however, doesn’t accept the narrative that Topuria is dealing with personal problems. Instead, he believes Dana White and his team are actively pushing Paddy Pimblett into a title shot.

“They know I could beat everybody. That’s why they didn’t give me the title fight,” Arman Tsarukyan told ESPN.

“For me, Paddy is easy work. Justin Gaethje is easy work. Ilia is easy work,” he added. “Islam Makhachev was hard work, but he left the division. Nobody in this division is on my level right now.”

In the end, he remains confident. “It’s a business, not just a sport, so they can make whatever decisions they want. But in the end, I’m going to become champion. It’s only a matter of time. Early next year or by the end of this year, I deserve my shot at the title.”

How do you view Arman Tsarukyan’s comments? Is Paddy Pimblett being fast-tracked while the American-Armenian contender is left on the sidelines? Do you think Tsarukyan is facing favoritism from Dana White? Share your thoughts below.