"Not a soul believes he was hurt" - Fans react as Dana White gives significant update on Arman Tsarukyan's title shot scenario after UFC 311 pullout

UFC 311 took a sharp turn as Arman Tsarukyan was forced to withdraw from his highly anticipated lightweight title rematch against Islam Makhachev due to a back injury. UFC CEO Dana White addressed the situation during the post-fight press conference, outlining the next steps for Tsarukyan.

This unexpected development sidelined Tsarukyan’s quest to avenge his 2019 debut loss to Makhachev. After a string of impressive performances, including a decision win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300, the 27-year-old appeared primed to challenge for lightweight gold.

Addressing the situation at the post-fight press conference, White said:

“Arman’s going back to the drawing board. I don’t want anybody to ever fight hurt. We've been in these positions before. Went down there with the doctor, went down there with Heather from the from the [UFC Performance Institute]. She's the best in the world and you know you miss opportunity sometimes and he did. So we'll see how this plays out for him next year."

Check out Dana White's comments below (1:45):

Several fans took to X to react to White's comments and wrote:

"Not a soul believes he was hurt. Bro couldn’t make the weight."

"It sucks because the injury wasn’t his fault. But knowing the UFC they only care about the money fights."

"That doesn’t shock me. You can’t be pulling out 24 hours before being the main event of a fight. He’s a very good fighter, but he’ll have to earn the trust of the UFC again."

"Good. When Khabib [Nurmagomedov] had to pull out on a day's notice last time, he had to comeback and fight with #3 ranked [Edson] Barboza even when he was undefeated with a 23-0 record.. Arman should at least fight one time."

"Not enough. He should have to fight his way back into the UFC. They should also fire that media personality that he supposedly injured himself for."

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Fans react to Dana White claiming Arman Tsarukyan has to earn title shot. [Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]