Kamaru Usman Questions Arman Tsarukyan for Hinting at Featherweight Move

Kamaru Usman has cast serious doubts over Arman Tsarukyan moving to featherweight by highlighting the latter's weight issues at 155 pounds.

Kamaru Usman Questions Arman Tsarukyan for Hinting at Featherweight Move

Kamaru Usman rubbishes Arman Tsarukyan moving to featherweight [via MMA Fighting]

In Short
  • Kamaru Usman criticized Arman Tsarukyan's potential move to featherweight, calling it "ridiculous" due to Tsarukyan's previous weight struggles.
  • Tsarukyan hinted at moving to featherweight only if offered a title fight, but prefers to stay in lightweight.
  • Recent statements suggest Tsarukyan may have missed weight for UFC 311, raising concerns about his ability to cut to 145 pounds.

Ever since he pulled out of his fight with Islam Makhachev at UFC 311, Arman Tsarukyan has been in lightweight limbo. With barely any hopes of a title shot on the horizon, the Armenian even teased a move to featherweight to take on Alexander Volkanovski. However, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has questioned the feasibility of this move.

Tsarukyan recently told IbraTV that he plans to make the move in June, but only if they offer him a title fight. The Armenian star did clarify that he would still rather fight in his own division. Even so, Tsarukyan seems to have a bullish attitude towards a potential move to featherweight.

However, on his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ brought up Tsarukyan’s previous weight woes. He branded the move as “ridiculous” in an attempt to dissuade the Armenian.

This talk of him going down to 145 is ridiculous because he didn’t make the weight for 155 for the world title shot, didn’t make it. And now you want to go ahead and drop down another 10 pounds. Arman’s not little, Arman’s a big guy, he’s not little to where I think he might end up finishing out [his career] at welterweight.

Kamaru Usman on Arman Tsarukyan moving to featherweight

Now, Arman Tsarukyan’s weight issues at 155lbs are well-documented. His last weight cut ahead of the fight against Dan Hooker was gruelling. Videos from his camp showed fellow UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev supporting Tsarukyan through a brutal cut. So, Usman’s assessment is correct — making 145lbs may just be impossible for the Armenian.

However, it is important to note that Arman Tsarukyan did not officially miss weight during UFC 311. The Armenian issued a clarifying statement when he pulled out of the fight back in January. 2025. The official reason stated was a back injury, which many believed he suffered while showboating for Nina Drama.

But what really happened has remained up in the air for a long time. Was it an injury like the Armenian said? Was it a weight miss that many fans have theorized? Well, Tsarukyan seemed to confirm what happened in January recently in a promotional video.

Arman Tsarukyan accidentally confirms missing weight at UFC 311

Even when Arman Tsarukyan initially issued a statement clarifying that his pullout was due to a back injury, many fans and fighters were skeptical. They believed Tsarukyan had actually missed the 155lbs championship weight limit.

As the days went on and the UFC kept snubbing Tsarukyan for a title shot, this theory seemed to gain more and more credence. This is especially after the UFC CEO Dana White said the 29-year-old didn’t make weight for his fight at UFC 311.

Arman Tsarukyan
Arman Tsarukyan (via X)

But recently, Arman Tsarukyan himself seemed to confirm that his pullout was due to missing weight in a video with his nutritionist, Matteo Capodaglio.

CapoNutrition… don’t work with him. CapoNutrition this time did work 100%, we didn’t miss weight like last time.

Arman Tsarukyan in a video by CapoNutrition

With the man himself verifying these reports, it would seem Kamaru Usman has hit the nail on the head. If Arman Tsarukyan did indeed miss weight as he admitted to in the above video, a move to featherweight would be disastrous for multitude of reasons.

Firstly, he would risk missing weight, more so than he did at 155. Cutting ten pounds at 155 is wildly different from cutting the same weight at 200lbs. It’s a higher percentage of one’s weight, nearly double. So, the detrimental effects on Tsarukyan’s chin, conditioning, and overall performance will be more pronounced.

All in all, Kamaru Usman seems like the voice of reason in rubbishing Arman Tsarukyan’s potential move to featherweight.

After all, Alexander Volkanovski is one of the best fighters ever. A severely compromised version of himself may not be what Arman Tsarukyan wants to display in his first UFC title shot. So, it would behoove the Armenian to wait for his shot at 155, which may come even quicker if Justin Gaethje takes his advice.

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