Arman Tsarukyan has been named the official backup fighter for Ilia Topuria’s lightweight title defense against Justin Gaethje, UFC chief Dana White said on a recent Kick stream with Nina Drama. White said Tsarukyan would step in if anything happened to the June 14 main event, which is set to headline UFC Freedom 250 at The White House.
“Arman is the backup for the White House fight,” White said, adding, “So if anything happen to that fight, Arman’s in there.” The move gives Tsarukyan, ranked No. 2 in the official UFC lightweight rankings, a direct path to the biggest fight on the card even after White previously said he would have to work his way back into title contention after UFC 311 fell apart.
The announcement lands with real stakes because Topuria is making his first defense of the lightweight belt after knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, one fight after vacating the featherweight title. Gaethje, meanwhile, is trying to unify the lightweight belts after defeating Paddy Pimblett to secure interim gold for the second time. If the bout is derailed, Tsarukyan would be next in line to keep the division moving.
That is a sharp turn for a fighter whose last title shot disappeared on weigh-in day at UFC 311, when he was scheduled to rematch Islam Makhachev before pulling out with an injury. Tsarukyan has tried to stay relevant since then, competing in a number of grappling bouts over the last year and extending a five-fight win streak. He most recently submitted Dan Hooker in his first Octagon appearance after withdrawing from the Makhachev rematch.
White’s new backup plan underscores how quickly the lightweight picture has shifted. Tsarukyan is now behind Gaethje in the standings, but the backup designation keeps him inside the title conversation at the exact moment the division’s next champion is about to be tested at the White House. For a fighter who was told he had more work to do, June 14 now offers another opening.
For more on Tsarukyan’s next step in the sport, see Raf 08 pits Urijah Faber against Arman Tsarukyan in Philadelphia.
