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DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 21: Arman Tsarukyan of Georgia poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Arman Tsarukyan will still be the backup fighter for the UFC White House main event between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, although he doesn’t intend on weighing in for a fight unless he’s actually going to compete.
In the past, backup fighters have shown up on fight week and cut weight and made weight so that they can step in should something happen to a main event fighter during the weight cut. Plenty of championship fights have fallen apart after one competitor or another missed weight, or falls ill due to a botched cut.
Tsarukyan certainly knows this considering he pulled out of his lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev due to a bad weight cut back in January 2025.
But according to Tsarukyan, he’ll only step in as a backup if something happens to one of the fighters withdraws in the week leading up to UFC White House on Sunday June 14th.
“The situation is I’m a backup for this fight,” Tsarukyan told Ariel Helwani. “If something happens, I’m gonna fly there and make the weight and win and fight.”
“You’re only gonna weigh in if you have the fight officially?” Helwani asked.
“Yes,” Tsarukyan replied.
Tsarukyan went on to suggest that the UFC would have to inform him he’s fighting about a week out from the UFC White House event for him to make weight.
“Maybe like one week before, yeah, is possible,” he said.
That’s not much of a backup, given how often weight issues are the reason behind last-minute fight changes. But considering the size and scale of the UFC event and Dana White booking the event full of athletes known to compete no matter what, maybe it’s no big deal.
Let’s hope it’s no big deal.
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