Arman Tsarukyan did not mince words when discussing Charles Oliveira‘s UFC 331 withdrawal. The Armenian lightweight contender believes ‘Do Bronx’ used his friend Allan Nascimento‘s tragic death as an “excuse” to pull out of their highly anticipated fight. Yeah, that’s a pretty brutal accusation.
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‘Ahalkalakets’ was all set to face Oliveira in a five-round co-main event at UFC 331 on September 19; however, the fight fell through, with Mauricio Ruffy taking on Tsarukyan instead. Now, speaking to Ariel Helwani, the Armenian has broken his silence on the whole situation.
“So I [was] supposed to fight with Charles co-main event five rounds,” he said. “When I was in the mountains, they called me and said, ‘We got a new name for you; it’s Ruffy.’ I said, ‘Okay, no problem.'”
Ariel Helwani then asked whether Arman Tsarukyan had been given a reason for Charles Oliveira no longer being his opponent. And while ‘Ahalkalakets’ was given a reason behind the change, it seems like the Armenian contender still isn’t completely convinced.
“Because Charles’s friend died and he cannot train,” Tsarukyan further replied. “But I don’t understand; in three days or four days, he’s doing livestreams and, like, back in the camp, and, like, probably they already set up fight with Diego Lopes.
“He was just find the excuse, and now, he just find the excuse. I don’t know if, like, everybody’s different, yeah. It’s to lose somebody so hard, but like, you could beat me and like dedicate this victory to your friend, and like, but you never know.”
Allan Nascimento was more than just a Chute Boxe teammate for Charles Oliveira; they stood in each other’s corner in some of their biggest wins. The bond between the two was laid bare for everyone to see when the Brazilian shared a tribute to his longtime friend following the shocking news.
To ‘Ahalkalakets’ point, there have been fighters such as Paddy Pimblett who have used their post-fight speech to pay tribute to their friends. In fact, the Liverpudlian’s speech about men’s mental health during his post-fight Octagon interview at UFC Fight Night 208 after his friend’s passing became one of the most talked-about moments in UFC history.
For now, Charles Oliveira has not responded publicly to Arman Tsarukyan’s allegations. And as per the MMA rumour mill, the former lightweight champion is now being linked to a possible bout with Diego Lopes, who earlier stated that he would gladly take a fight against ‘Do Bronx’.
“Of course, why not? Of course I’d accept,” Lopes told Laerte Viana last year. “Especially because Charles is a legend… And like I’ve always said, man, I’ll never turn down a fight.
“If you think I’m the right guy to fight him, and you call me, then definitely yes, no problem, without even thinking twice.”
So, a November bout would provide ‘Do Bronx’ more time off from competition following Nascimento’s death, and it could potentially be a BMF title fight between two of the division’s most exciting Brazilians. As for Arman Tsarukyan, he has moved on and will now face Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331.