Arman Tsarukyan "threw his back out" trying to impress Nina-Marie Daniele, claims ex-UFC star, leaving MMA X in splits: "Men will [be] men"

Arman Tsarukyan has withdrawn from his highly anticipated title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311. Former UFC star Derek Brunson reacted to the news by taking a lighthearted jab at Tsarukyan's famous wrestling warm-up, which he performed with Nina-Marie Daniele on her YouTube channel. Brunson joked that he was trying to impress her with the move that ultimately led to the injury.

Tsarukyan appeared on Daniele's YouTube channel, where he taught her his well-known neck bridge roll warm-up. After the UFC announced Tsarukyan’s withdrawal from the fight, the news circulated on social media. Brunson took to X and shared snapshots of ‘Ahalkalakets’ teaching Daniele his move. Brunson posted a humorous tweet:

“The way I just laughed thinking about how Arman Tsarukyan threw his back out trying to impress Nina Drama.”

The post ignited reactions from several MMA enthusiasts, who flooded the comment section with speculations that the Armenian fighter threw away a title opportunity just to show off. Fans shared their thoughts:

“Bro definitely threw out the back tryna show off.”

“Bro really thrown away opportunity of a lifetime by trying to impress a 36-year-old mid.”

“Well now people have more reasons to hate @ninamdrama.”

“Men will [be] men no matter when.”

Check out some more fan reactions below:

Fan reactions screenshots. [Screenshots courtesy: @DerekBrunson on X]

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Arman Tsarukyan addresses UFC 311 withdrawal due to back injury

Arman Tsarukyan’s withdrawal from his first UFC title bout against Islam Makhachev has opened the door for Renato Moicano, who has now officially replaced Tsarukyan as the headliner for the fight for UFC gold.

The No.1-ranked lightweight contender took to Instagram to release a statement addressing his withdrawal. Tsarukyan expressed his disappointment while remaining hopeful about competing for the belt in the near future. He wrote:

"I regret to inform everyone that the news is that I had to pull out of UFC 311 with a back injury is true. This was the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my fighting career. I would like to thank the UFC for understanding and I look forward to competing for my first UFC championship in the future. Thank you all for your support."