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Justin Gaethje claims Arman Tsarukyan blew his title shot because ‘he wasn’t going to make weight so he dropped out’

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Justin Gaethje claims Arman Tsarukyan blew his title shot because ‘he wasn’t going to make weight so he dropped out’

Justin Gaethje is still awaiting his first assignment as undisputed UFC lightweight champion but the contenders are starting to stack up with hopes of getting the first shot at him when he's ready to compete again in 2027.

One of the most popular choices is Arman Tsarukyan, who is set to face Mauricio Ruffy in a pivotal lightweight fight taking place at UFC 331 in Los Angeles on Sept. 19. While most believe that Tsarukyan already did enough to get that shot at gold, Gaethje argues that the 29-year-old contender has no one to blame but himself for being stuck on the outside looking in when it comes to a UFC championship.

Tsarukyan was scheduled to battle for the belt at the start of 2025 when he got matched up with then champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 331. Sadly, disaster struck just days away from the fight with Tsarukyan suffered a back injury and he was pulled off the event and replaced by Renato Moicano.

But Gaethje doesn't buy that story and that's why he believes Tsarukyan has been stuck as the odd man out when it comes to the lightweight title.

“We all make our own bed,†Gaethje told Demetrious Johnson on his podcast. “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.

“There's no way if he was truly to hurt his back cutting weight, how the f*ck do you do that for one. Maybe his body was shutting down and he just couldn't make weight, which happens.â€

That said, Gaethje expects Tsarukyan to get a win in his upcoming fight at UFC 331 to potentially position him yet again for a shot at the belt.

“Most likely, Arman's going to take him down,†Gaethje said. “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.â€

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MMA

Dana White gives encouraging update on Raoni Barcelos

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Dana White gives encouraging update on Raoni Barcelos
Dana
White has addressed Raoni
Barcelos' concerning stoppage loss to Raul Rosas
Jr.

Barcelos was ahead on the judges' scorecards heading into the fifth
round of his
Ultimate Fighting Championship main event against Rosas Jr. at
Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Sept. 26. However, the Brazilian appeared
to lose consciousness during a wrestling exchange against the
Octagon wall, prompting the referee to stop the
UFC Vegas 121 headliner. He was later removed from the Octagon
on a stretcher.

Raoni Barcelos is conscious and walking as doctors await test
results

Barcelos was transported to a hospital, where he subsequently
regained consciousness. According to White, Barcelos is lucid and
able to walk while awaiting test results to determine what caused
the episode.

White said all pre-fight medicals were triple-checked before the
event. According to the UFC CEO, three ambulances and six doctors
were present at Meta APEX when Barcelos lost consciousness. White
also said Barcelos was sent directly to a Level I trauma center
rather than Valley Hospital.

“All the pre-fight medicals were triple-checked; everything was
good,†White said at the
Dana White's Contender Series Season 10
Week 8 post-fight presser. “There were six doctors here that
night, three ambulances. He was taken straight to the trauma
center, not to Valley. Everything was done the right way and the
outcome was good.â€

As for whether Barcelos will fight again, White said his primary
concern is the 39-year-old's health.

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MMA

Dana White blames UK resistance to his growing boxing role

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Dana White blames UK resistance to his growing boxing role
Dana White claims resistance to his involvement in boxing is
primarily coming from the United Kingdom.

Tyson
Fury and Anthony
Joshua are set to clash in a highly anticipated boxing bout on
Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The fight will
be broadcast on Netflix, which has announced that Turki Alalshikh's
The Ring and Dana White will collaborate to promote the event.
However, White's longtime rival, Eddie Hearn, disputes the
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO's involvement.

Dana White says British boxing figures are pushing back on his
involvement

White labeled traditional boxing promoters taking issue with his
involvement an “ego thing.†He admitted that boxing isn't what it
was in the United States two decades ago and claimed it has become
primarily a British sport. According to White, the complaints and
resistance surrounding his involvement are coming from the U.K.

“Boxing has taken a hit in the United States,†he said at the
latest
Dana White's Contender Series presser. “It's not as big as it
was here 20 years ago. It has become a very British sport. And the
sh*t that you're hearing, the crying and the b*tching and whatever,
is all coming from the U.K.â€

Despite Fury and Joshua signing contracts with Alalshikh and coming
through in their tune-up fights earlier this year, uncertainty
surrounded the bout until it was recently made official. While some
parties wanted the fight to take place in the U.S. to cater to a
global audience, Joshua and Hearn pushed for the fight to remain in
the U.K. Fury also publicly expressed doubts about the matchup
taking place until recently.

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MMA

Former NFL linebacker says UFCs star effect doesnt work on him

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Former NFL linebacker says UFC's 'star effect' doesn't work on him
Anthony
Wint believes his stint in the National Football League
prepared him to handle the spotlight in the UFC.

Wint (8-0) is scheduled to make his sophomore
Ultimate Fighting Championship appearance against Lucas
Armand (6-0) at UFC
332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The former New
York Jets linebacker says he isn't overwhelmed by being around UFC
stars or being viewed as a celebrity.

Anthony Wint says his NFL experience changed how he handles the
UFC spotlight

Wint has been training with several top-ranked and rising UFC
fighters, including Esteban
Ribovics, Gregory
Rodrigues, Anthony
Hernandez, Reinier
de Ridder and Roman
Dolidze. However, “Bow Down†isn't starstruck, having already
been around high-profile athletes in the NFL. Wint also learned not
to be overwhelmed by the spotlight after his NFL career didn't
develop as he had hoped.

“I played in the NFL and I'm used to being around the stars… I'm
used to people seeing me as a celebrity,†Wint said in an
interview. “And I train with Esteban [Ribovics]. My last fight, I
literally sparred three or four of the top-ranked guys in the
185-pound division: ‘Robocop,' I was around Anthony, RDR… I've done
countless rounds with him, even Roman; when I went to the P.I., I
got to roll around with him a little bit. So, you miss this star
effect of, ‘Dang, I'm in the UFC.' Because I already had that in
the NFL and I saw how it worked and it didn't work.â€

Wint earned his UFC contract on the ongoing season of
Dana White's Contender Series with a 34-second finish in
August. Wint refused to leave Las Vegas without getting his UFC
debut booked and made his Octagon debut 11 days later at
UFC Sacramento, where he earned a first-round submission
victory.

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