Arman Tsarukyan was initially scheduled to headline UFC 311 in a lightweight title fight against reigning champion Islam Makhachev. However, the Armenian withdrew from the bout due to a back injury, costing him a highly anticipated title opportunity.
Renato Moicano stepped in as a late replacement but was defeated by Makhachev via first-round submission.
The circumstances surrounding Tsarukyan’s withdrawal have drawn attention, especially after a video surfaced on social media showing him performing a series of neck-spinning movements during a training session. The clip, shared in a Nina Drama video, has sparked speculation about its connection to his injury.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett weighed in on the situation, suggesting that extreme weight-cutting may have been the root cause of Tsarukyan’s injury. On The Ariel Helwani Show, Barnett theorized that the rigorous weight cut likely triggered a severe back spasm, ultimately forcing Tsarukyan to pull out.
“You don’t get Arman Tsarukyan having back problems if you don’t have insane weight cutting,” Barnett explained. “I truly believe that in doing his weight cut, he probably hit a huge back spasm out of nowhere that completely took him by surprise. It was bad enough that it impacted his ability to cut weight, so how’s he gonna make the weight class? And it could be severe enough that he wouldn’t feel up to competing the next day.”
Barnett also criticized the culture of extreme weight-cutting in MMA, arguing that it creates unnecessary risks for fighters.
“This all comes from fighting under a ruleset that encourages you to game the system because everyone is doing it and there’s no way around it really,” he added.
While Tsarukyan has not directly addressed the weight-cut speculation, the incident has reignited discussions about the dangers of drastic weight reductions in combat sports.
