Dana White hit the brakes hard when Arman Tsarukyan called out for a title shot from the Octagon after his dominant, statement-worthy win against Dan Hooker in Qatar on November 22nd. While Tsarukyan has never failed to put on a show, the real obstacle traces back to UFC 311 earlier this year, which scarred Tsarukyan’s name in the promotion.

After Tsarukyan pulled out of his title fight with Islam Makhachev following the former fighter’s severe back injury, Tsarukyan found himself on the UFC blacklist. Unfortunately, despite his latest resounding win, Tsarukyan has been sidelined from the title shot conversations. This doesn’t sit well with Jorge Masvidal. who has accused Dana White of his double standards regarding Conor McGregor.

Similar Move, Very Different Price

In the latest episode of the Death Row MMA podcast, host and UFC veteran Jorge Masvidal discusses how Arman Tsarukyan was long overdue for his deserved title shot. While Masvidal understands the logistical nightmare these last-minute setbacks can create, he couldn’t help but note the moral inconsistency & favoritism with ‘The Notorious’.

“Your favorite fighter of all time, Dana, Conor, has pulled out like 5–6 times, and yet you’re talking about him fighting at the White House,” Masvidal called out. The Irish striker, Conor McGregor, pulled out of his UFC 303 bout with Michael Chandler, coming off a massive hiatus. However, McGregor has remained in the conversation for the White House event next year.

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On the contrary, Arman Tsarukyan, who has similarly shown up consistently, is facing a seismic downfall in his career following a halt in his momentum. Even in the latest card announcement for UFC 324, Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett gained the interim lightweight title fight, while Tsarukyan bit the dust.

Taking a balanced stance on both sides of the coin, Masvidal shared, “I see both sides to it. As a promoter, when you put that amount of weight, time, money, and resources into a dude to fight for the title and he wasn’t just fighting anybody.”

“He was fighting Makhachev, there’s nothing you can do to pull away. I know it must’ve been a lot if Arman couldn’t fight, because Arman is a fighter,” he continued. Arman Tsarukyan has built a reputation as a reliable, resilient, and fearless fighter, with few pullouts. In that context, it only feels a bit unfair for Tsarukyan to pay so heavily for a single pullout.

Expressing his disapproval over this title snub, Masvidal added, “I get it, Dana, you’re mad at Arman, and you’ve got to scold him, punish him to show him, ‘Hey, don’t do that again.’ But how many other fighters in clutch moments have missed and gotten their opportunity again? I feel like Arman should have been way over Gaethje and Pimblett.”

Speaking of which, Arman Tsarukyan is not one to let it slip away easily, acknowledging the situation with a defiant response as he eyes the Lightweight belt.

Arman Tsarukyan won’t fall prey to show business

Since Ilia Topuria stepped away from the fighting scene owing to a marital dispute, the MMA fanbase has jumped on the wagon, accusing Topuria of ducking Tsarukyan. However, despite the online backlash and the raving support at the Armenian fighter’s disposal, the UFC has steered the spotlight away from the deserved contender to Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett for the interim LW belt.

Arman Tsarukyan believes that the UFC is more of a show business than a fighting promotion, leading to the bizarre matchups. “They know I could beat everybody. That’s why they didn’t give me the title fight,” he conjectured. However, Dana White has made it clear that he doesn’t dislike the Armenian fighter. Further, Tsarukyan added how he isn’t afraid to challenge the division elites like Gaethje, Pimblett, or Topuria.

“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,” Tsarukyan added his defiant response, not giving up on the last strands of hope on a title shot next year.

In the end, ‘Ahalkalakets’ remains confident that skill will eventually outweigh spectacle and that his path to the belt is inevitable. Do you think Arman is being unfairly overlooked, or is the UFC right to prioritize bigger names? Let us know your take.