Gaethje claims Tsarukyan missed title shot because he 'wasn't going to make weight'

Justin Gaethje has publicly questioned the reason Arman Tsarukyan withdrew from his UFC lightweight title fight earlier this year, claiming the 29-year-old contender dropped out because he was unable to make weight — not because of the back injury that was officially reported.

Speaking on Demetrious Johnson’s podcast, Gaethje was blunt about why he believes Tsarukyan finds himself on the outside of the title picture despite being widely regarded as one of the division’s top contenders. “We all make our own bed,” Gaethje said. “He was going to fight Islam Makhachev for the belt. The truth is he wasn’t going to make weight so he dropped out. If it was his back and there was a medical report on paper with the UFC, then he wouldn’t be suffering like this.”

Tsarukyan had been scheduled to challenge then-champion Islam Makhachev at the start of 2025, but was pulled from the card days before the fight. The official explanation was a back injury sustained during training camp, with Renato Moicano stepping in as a late replacement. Gaethje, however, is unconvinced. “Maybe his body was shutting down and he just couldn’t make weight, which happens,” he added.

The UFC has not publicly contradicted the back-injury account, and Gaethje offered no documentary evidence to support his claim. Tsarukyan has not yet responded to the champion’s remarks.

Gaethje himself is the undisputed lightweight champion but is not expected to compete again until 2027, leaving the division’s contenders to jostle for position in the interim. Tsarukyan’s next opportunity to reassert his case comes at UFC 331 in Los Angeles on September 19, where he faces Brazilian prospect Mauricio Ruffy in what shapes as a pivotal fight for the division’s pecking order.

Despite the pointed criticism, Gaethje stopped short of writing Tsarukyan off entirely. “Most likely, Arman’s going to take him down,” he said of the Ruffy matchup. “I hope Arman gets hit hard. It would be fun to see. I don’t hate Arman. I’d rather him get hit hard than get on top of [Ruffy] and win.”

A victory for Tsarukyan at UFC 331 would likely reignite calls for the UFC to book him as Gaethje’s first title defence whenever the champion is ready to return.