Islam Makhachev, the UFC welterweight champion, openly commented on why Arman Sarukyan, currently ranked number one in the lightweight division, has yet to be released for the championship fight.
According to the Russian fighter, this situation is directly related to the planned but failed fight between them. Makhachev emphasized that before the major tournament in Los Angeles, all attention was focused on this clash. However, Arman Sarukyanning withdrawal from the match due to injury negatively affected his reputation.
- That situation was a big "minus" for Armenia. I think Dana White was very dissatisfied with this. "Now not only Sarukyan, but also some other fighters are facing difficulties as a result of this incident," Makhachev said in an interview with the publication "Ushatayka."
At the same time, Islam Makhachev openly expressed his position. In his opinion, from the point of view of sports principles, Arman Sarukyan is one of the most worthy fighters to fight for the belt.
"If I judge objectively, Arman deserves a championship fight more than anyone else," he added.
As a reminder, Makhachev and Sarukyan were scheduled to enter the octagon on January 18, 2025, as part of UFC 311. However, the fight was canceled due to Arman's back injury, and Islam was forced to face Brazilian Renato Moicano.
This event once again brought to the agenda how the championship queue within the UFC is being formed. Whether Sarukyanga will be given a chance in the future remains an open question.
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