{"id":7196,"date":"2026-08-18T12:14:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T11:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=7196"},"modified":"2026-08-18T17:21:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T16:21:33","slug":"tsarukyan-reopens-the-oliveira-chapter-between-a-controversial-withdrawal-and-the-road-back-to-the-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/tsarukyan-reopens-the-oliveira-chapter-between-a-controversial-withdrawal-and-the-road-back-to-the-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Tsarukyan reopens the Oliveira chapter: between a controversial withdrawal and the road back to the title"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">As Arman Tsarukyan prepares to face Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331, the Armenian fighter has returned to the center of attention, not only because of his upcoming challenge, but also because he reopened the unfinished story of his cancelled fight with Charles Oliveira. For Tsarukyan, Oliveira\u2019s withdrawal was not simply a change of opponent; it was, in his view, a moment that revealed two different approaches to major career opportunities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tsarukyan had already begun his training camp for a scheduled five-round fight against Oliveira, a matchup that represented a crucial step in his pursuit of another title opportunity. When Oliveira withdrew, the Armenian decided not to wait and immediately accepted the new challenge against Ruffy, believing that staying active and maintaining momentum were more valuable than putting his career on hold for a possible Oliveira return.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_52727\"  width=\"696\" height=\"391\"  data-origwidth=\"696\" data-origheight=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/G15z2LqLnkQ?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">That decision highlights a fundamental part of Tsarukyan\u2019s mindset. After spending a significant period away from the Octagon, rebuilding his momentum became a strategic priority. In a sport where timing and momentum can define careers, remaining active can sometimes matter more than protecting an original matchup, even when that opponent carries Oliveira\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">The real tension emerged when Tsarukyan addressed the reason behind Oliveira\u2019s withdrawal. The Brazilian explained that the death of his friend and training partner Allan Nascimento had affected him deeply and prevented him from preparing properly for the fight. However, Tsarukyan interpreted the events that followed differently, especially after Oliveira appeared on social media and reports surfaced about a potential fight against Diego Lopes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">The discussion then moved beyond competition and entered a more sensitive area: trust between fighters. Tsarukyan did not dismiss the emotional impact of losing someone close, but he questioned the situation after seeing Oliveira return quickly to public activity and training discussions. From his perspective, if Oliveira was able to come back so soon, he could have also accepted the fight and dedicated a possible victory to his late friend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Behind these accusations, however, there are also clear competitive calculations. Oliveira, a former UFC champion and one of the most respected names in the lightweight division, represents a prestigious but extremely dangerous test. Meanwhile, from Tsarukyan\u2019s perspective, a fight against Diego Lopes could appear to be a more favorable option in terms of timing and strategic opportunity. That is why he believes the choice between him and Lopes would not necessarily be a neutral one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">At a deeper level, this controversy reflects a broader reality inside the lightweight division: the battle is not only fought inside the cage, but also through career management and strategic decisions. Every contender is searching for the right moment, the right opponent, and the right conditions to maximize the path toward championship success.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">For Tsarukyan, the mission is now clear. A victory over Mauricio Ruffy could put him directly back into the title picture against lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, especially after his previous title opportunity against Islam Makhachev disappeared hours before the fight due to a back injury. His next appearance is therefore more than a simple return; it is an attempt to rebuild a path that was interrupted.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Between his criticism of Oliveira and his preparation for Ruffy, Tsarukyan is trying to establish his own narrative: that he is a fighter who does not wait for opportunities, but creates them. Yet the final answer will not come from interviews or statements. It will come inside the Octagon, where narratives are tested, reputations are challenged, and the true hierarchy of the division is revealed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Arman Tsarukyan prepares to face Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331, the Armenian fighter has returned to the center of attention, not only because of his upcoming challenge, but also because he reopened the unfinished story of his cancelled fight with Charles Oliveira. For Tsarukyan, Oliveira\u2019s withdrawal was not simply a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,86,21,91],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7196","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"category-mma-video","9":"category-ufc-news","10":"category-ufc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7196"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7196"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7198,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7196\/revisions\/7198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}