Ilia Topuria mocks Arman Tsarukyan over UFC Freedom 250 backup role

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Dana White revealed during Nina Drama’s livestream on Thursday night that Arman Tsarukyan will officially serve as backup fighter for the UFC Freedom 250 main event.

The lightweight title unification bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje headlines the historic card, although Tsarukyan now remains ready if either star withdraws unexpectedly before fight night.

“If anything happens to that fight, Arman is in there,” the UFC boss stated.

And now, Topuria has weighed in on the matter.

Ilia Topuria mocks Arman Tsarukyan after backup fighter announcement

Photo by Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Topuria reacted to the announcement this Friday and used the situation to take another swipe at his lightweight rival.

While a journalist attempted asking about Tsarukyan’s role at UFC Freedom 250, the Spanish-Georgian champion interrupted the question before mocking the Armenian contender directly.

“He [Tsarukyan] is always the backup,” Topuria said.

The rivalry between both UFC stars became heated after Topuria moved up to lightweight and eventually captured the belt.

Tsarukyan repeatedly argued he deserves another title opportunity, despite being overlooked since withdrawing late from his scheduled title fight against Islam Makhachev.

Now, however, the backup fighter role strongly suggests the UFC views the Armenian contender as one of the leading names in the lightweight championship picture.

The decision also appears to complicate Charles Oliveira’s hopes of securing another immediate title opportunity despite the former champion publicly campaigning for another shot at UFC gold.