Arman Tsarukyan and Nina Marie-Daniele settle UFC 311 controversy with ‘friendly choke’

Nina Marie Daniele, a UFC content creator, faced intense scrutiny for allegedly being the reason behind Arman Tsarukyan's pullout.

Arman Tsarukyan and Nina Marie-Daniele settle UFC 311 controversy with ‘friendly choke’

Arman Tsarukyan shuts down his injury controversies involving Nina Marie-Daniele (Image via Instagram)

The first UFC pay-per-view event (UFC 311) of 2025 was marked by a significant last-minute change. Armenian fighter Arman Tsarukyan withdrew from his scheduled championship fight against Islam Makhachev. This surprising development sparked various controversies within the UFC community, including reactions from UFC content creator Nina Marie-Daniele.

A few days before the fight, Arman Tsarukyan and Nina Marie-Daniele met for a video shoot. During the shoot, Tsarukyan was seen teaching ‘Nina Drama’ the neck bridge roll warm-up, and other exercises. Many netizens speculated that this could have led to the Armenian fighter’s forced withdrawal from the fight due to injury. However, weeks later, Tsarukyan addressed and clarified the controversy.

This is because of you. I hurt my back becasue of you.

Arman Tsarukyan to Nina Marie-Daniele

The UFC content creator received several death threats due to the controversy surrounding Tsarukyan’s pullout from the fight. However, the situation was misrepresented. Hours later, Tsarukyan’s team clarified that the reason for the pullout was an existing back injury, which worsened during the weight-cut process.

As a result, Tsarukyan missed his first title opportunity in the UFC. However, many weren’t happy with his withdrawal. Notably, UFC head honcho Dana White was evidently unhappy with how the main event fight of UFC 311 was affected because of Tsarukyan.

Ultimately, Brazilian fighter Renato Moicano stepped up and faced Islam Makhachev on just one day’s notice. Meanwhile, the Armenian fighter received a harsh penalty from the UFC CEO. In the aftermath, Tsarukyan will have to work to earn his title shot again.

Michael Chandler says his fight against Arman Tsarukyan is a ‘possibility’

In the current UFC lightweight division, there are many exciting potential matchups. One notable pairing is between Arman Tsarukyan and Michael Chandler. Reports indicate that these two UFC lightweight fighters are set to clash at UFC 314. However, there has not been any official confirmation regarding this matchup yet.

Michael Chandler is interested in a fight against Arman Tsarukyan
Michael Chandler is interested in a fight against Arman Tsarukyan (Image via Imago)

Interestingly, Chandler recently fought at UFC 309 against Charles Oliveira, marking his return to the octagon after a two-year hiatus. Due to this extended absence from active fights in the promotion, Chandler is eager to compete in the UFC again soon. Additionally, with Tsarukyan seeking a potential opponent, Chandler believes that he might be a possible matchup.

Arman’s a possibility because Dana said that he is gonna have to build himself back at least get one more fight.

Michael Chandler via MMA Junkie (Check from 12:50)

Although Chandler faced defeat in his recent fight, Tsarukyan is currently on a four-fight win streak. Additionally, a rematch against Oliveira is a possibility for the Armenian fighter. It will be interesting to see who the UFC executives decide to book Tsarukyan and Chandler against next.

Related: Arman Tsarukyan Net Worth, UFC contract, Endorsements and House