‘This is your fault’: Former UFC champ hits out at Arman Tsarukyan being snubbed for title win in favor of Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett

Former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez recently shared his thoughts on Arman Tsarukyan seemingly being rejected for a lightweight title shot. Alvarez claimed that Tsarukyan was to blame for the position he is in and explained why.

After Tsarukyan’s second-round submission victory over Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar last month, many expected him to get his next lightweight title shot against Ilia Topuria. However, the UFC recently announced this Paddy Pimblett will face Justin Gaethje in an interim lightweight title fight at UFC 324 in January.

This development left many wondering why Tsarukyan was overlooked, and “Ahalkalakets” took to social media to question the confrontation on a provisional basis. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Alvarez shared his two cents on the matter, saying:

“I think the UFC keeps using Arman to fill cards. And that’s your fault. It’s your responsibility to go out there and do something that the fans want to see, that the fans want to see. … The fans want to see something special, something incredible. They want to see emotion, blood, guts, and you have to give the client what they want.”

He added:

“So if you don’t get the fights you want, you’re not going to move up in the division the way you want, maybe you have to adjust your style. You can be a down-to-earth guy and be exciting. Khabib (Nurmagomedov) was so exciting when he knocked people down and hit. He was always working to get a finish.” (H/t: MMA Junkie)

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Sean O’Malley believes the UFC doesn’t want Arman Tsarukyan to become the lightweight champion

Sean O’Malley recently shared his thoughts on Arman Tsarukyan who seems to be overlooked for a title shot. The former UFC bantamweight champion theorized that the promotion liked Ilia Topuria as a headliner and didn’t want his reign threatened.

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, O’Malley broke down Tsarukyan’s rejection of the title, saying:

“I don’t think the UFC will make Arman vs. Ilia because I think they love Ilia as a champion, he’s a great champion. I don’t think they really want Arman to become champion. He has a legit f***** chance to beat Ilia. I can’t believe he said that… If anyone has a chance to beat Ilia at 155, it’s Arman, the turkey Tsarukyan.”