No. 1 UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan doesn’t have his next matchup set; however, Dana White said Tsarukyan will be present at the upcoming event on the White House lawn.
The UFC president was asked about the possibility of Tsarukyan serving as the backup fighter for the main event of the unique June 14 card, which is a lightweight title unification bout between returning champion Ilia Topuria and interim titleholder Justin Gaethje.
“Yes, it’s true,” White confirmed Friday evening at the official UFC Freedom 250 press conference.
The 29-year-old has won five fights in a row, including a decision over former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 two years ago, but he has been in the UFC's doghouse for various out-of-cage reasons.
Tsarukyan was scheduled to challenge former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January of 2025, but withdrew from the bout on the eve of the event with what he said at the time was a back injury he sustained while cutting weight.
White said at the time: “He’s not getting (the next) title shot, so that means he’s going to have to fight his way back to the title.”
Tsarukyan held his spot as the top 155-pound contender with a submission win over Dan Hooker this past November, yet he also put that matchup in jeopardy the day prior to the card when he headbutted Hooker at the ceremonial weigh-in.
Topuria and Gaethje were asked about Tsarukyan being the designated back fighter.
“I have no thoughts,” Gaethje said.
“Me personally, I don’t care who I have in front (of me),” Topuria explained. “I’m going to break his jaw in the first minute, whether it is Arman or Justin.”
Below is the full UFC Freedom 250 lineup and projected bout order:
-- Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje (lightweight title unification bout)
-- Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane (for interim heavyweight title)
-- Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi
-- Derrick Lewis vs. Josh Hokit
-- Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler
-- Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus
-- Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia
