"He couldn't even stand" - Arman Tsarukyan's coach reveals chain of events leading to 'Akhalkalakets' withdrawing from from UFC 311 main event fight
Arman Tsarukyan's coach, Marcos 'Parrumpa' DaMatta, revealed the extent of his pupil's back injury in an interview with MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn, detailing why it was enough for 'Akhalkalakets' to withdraw from his UFC 311 main event title fight against reigning lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev.
Initially, Tsarukyan's back pain was manageable, with DaMatta revealing that he had been battling the injury for about a week. Unfortunately, the physical rigors of the weight cut eventually worsened Tsarukyan's injury, causing his back pain to flare up by Thursday.
"His weight was going down a little bit, he was really good on weight, so that's one of the reasons why this back pain aroused, because the weight was going down. And then Thursday, we went to the press conference and after the press conference he had to go see a doctor and still wanted to fight and power through it."
Yet, despite Tsarukyan's best efforts, his situation couldn't be helped, and he eventually came to grips with the severity of his injury, pulling out, with DaMatta revealing the moment the decision was made for him to withdraw from UFC 311.
"We started the weight cut, and then a few sessions in on the weight cut, he couldn't do it anymore and that's pretty much when Hunter [Campbell] and Dr. [Derek T.] Dee had to come into the house and actually talk about it and unfortunately he made the decision that it was wise not to fight because he couldn't even stand. He couldn't even sit up. He had to be staying laying on the bed."
Check out Marcos DaMatta detailing Arman Tsarukyan's back injury ordeal (1:20):
The loss of his title shot is a massive blow to Tsarukyan's career, as it is unknown whether he will receive an immediate title shot upon his return. For now, Makhachev will defend his belt against a last-minute foe in Renato Moicano, who was set to face Beneil Dariush on the same card.
Arman Tsarukyan was once scheduled to fight the man who took his place at UFC 311
With Arman Tsarukyan no longer fighting Islam Makhachev for lightweight gold at UFC 311, Renato Moicano has taken his place. Notably, 'Akhalkalakets' was once scheduled to face the Brazilian at UFC Vegas 72 on April 29, 2023.
Unfortunately, much like Tsarukyan in the Makhachev bout, Moicano withdrew from the matchup due to injury. However, Tsarukyan was not given a short-notice opponent. Instead, he was pulled from the card.