Arman Tsarukyan’s UFC career has been the opposite of straightforward despite his success.
On Saturday night, Tsarukyan faces Dan Hooker in the main event of UFC Qatar following a lot of back and forth between the two men.
Many have made the case for some time that the 29-year-old deserved another opportunity to challenge for the lightweight title after an injury forced him to withdraw from his first shot at the belt.
Even his opponent, Hooker, believes that Tsarukyan is the best fighter in the division right now.
He already won a fight that cemented his status as the next title challenger, but even that win didn’t come without some additional drama.
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Who will win the UFC Qatar main event?
Arman Tsarukyan was penalized for lashing out at a fan during his UFC 300 walk out
At UFC 300, Arman Tsarukyan’s matchup with Charles Oliveira was set to decide which man would go on to face the Russian for a second time.
After beating Oliveira via split decision, Tsarukyan rejected the UFC’s plan for him that came just hours after he got his hand raised in Las Vegas.
Tsarukyan’s manager stated that the UFC had offered him the chance to make a relatively quick turnaround and face Islam Makhachev for the title on June 1.
Even if they’d wanted to make this happen, the top contender and his team wouldn’t have been able to, due to what took place before he stepped inside the Octagon to face Oliveira.
Tsarukyan threw a right hand at a fan during his walk out which led to 20% of his purse being withheld by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Following a disciplinary hearing that took place several months later, Tsarukyan received a nine-month suspension and a $25,000 fine.
The suspension, which was backdated to UFC 300, would be reduced to six months if the UFC star produced an anti-bullying public service announcement.
While Dana White expected the UFC to be sued the following week, the fan who provoked Tsarukyan apologized to him when speaking with Bloody Elbow.
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Arman Tsarukyan recently claimed that he makes a financial loss if he doesn’t win
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Arman Tsarukyan claimed that if he doesn’t receive his UFC win bonus, he loses money when he competes.
The lightweight contender claimed that he receives $150,000 as his base amount, which after tax and paying for his training camps, leaves him with nothing.
Receiving the additional $150,000 for a win, along with sponsorships, is how he makes money from fighting.
Fortunately for him at UFC 300, he earned a huge win so the fine he received won’t have been quite as impactful.