Arman Tsarukyan opens up about his canceled fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311.

Arman Tsarukyan after his UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

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Arman Tsarukyan spoke again about UFC 311. The Armenian fighter recalled the reason for his withdrawal from the fight against Islam Makhachev on January 19, 2025. The fighter opened up about his absence from the big confrontation against the Dagestani fighter.

In a video released by the 'Dovy' profile on X, formerly Twitter, Tsarukyan explained his withdrawal from the fight against Makhachev. The duel was scheduled to take place in California (USA).

“I remember, I think it was in Los Angeles. You went to fight Islam (Makhachev), you messed up your back… How was your recovery?” the interviewer asked. “Well, I had an MRI afterwards. I don’t know how to explain it in English, but I have a…”

"Let's see in the translator... Hernia... So, I have this thing and I might need surgery or not. So, let's see if it bothers me again. If so, I'll have to have surgery to remove it," Arman Tsarukyan explained in an interview.

‼️ Arman Tsarukyan says he pulled out of the Islam Makhachev fight because he had a hernia

via @adinross

pic.twitter.com/2NA8HixsVx

— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) January 10, 2026

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Throughout the year, several comments were raised regarding the real reason Arman Tsarukyan was cut from UFC 311. Dana White, president of the organization, did not elaborate on the subject, but made it clear that what Arman did was very wrong.

When will Arman Tsarukyan's next UFC fight be?

Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira faced off at UFC 300. Photo: Reproduction/X

Arman Tsarukyan 's last fight for the UFC was against Dan Hooker , as the fight of the night at UFC Fight Night 265 on November 22, 2025. Tsarukyan won the fight by submission with an arm triangle choke in the second round. This fight earned him a Performance of the Night award.

Since then, Arman defeated Mehdi Baydulaev by submission with a rear-naked choke in the last minute of the main grappling match at 'ACBJJ 20' on December 17, 2025, in Moscow. The Armenian also won the 'All-Star Title' in this no-gi jiu-jitsu competition, where Baydulaev entered as a last-minute replacement.

Furthermore, Tsarukyan faced Shara Magomedov in a submission-only grappling match at the 'Hype Fighting Championship' on December 30, 2025, in Armenia. The fight ended in a draw.

Tsarukyan does not yet have any fights scheduled with the UFC, but he is scheduled to face Lance Palmer in a wrestling challenge at 'RAF 05' on January 10th in Florida (USA).

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