Arman Tsarukyan ready to ‘be a backup’ for UFC Freedom 250 main event

If trouble befalls the UFC Freedom 250 main event, Arman Tsarukyan will be ready to step in and save the day.

UFC Freedom 250 goes down on June 14 on the White House lawn. The event is intended to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, and is expected to be one of the biggest and most unique in UFC history.

The card will be headlined by a lightweight title fight, with undefeated, undisputed champ Ilia Topuria taking on interim champ Justin Gaethje. It’s a great matchup on paper, and it will hopefully go ahead, but if either fighter can’t make it to the cage, Tsarukyan plans to be ready to step in.

Arman Tsarukyan wants UFC Freedom 250 main event backup spot

“I’ll be waiting for the White House to see how Ilia Topuria performs,” Tsarukyan said after beating Urijah Faber at RAF 08 over the weekend. “Yes, I’ll be a backup. I’ll stay on a diet starting in May. If something happens, if someone gets injured, I can step in on a week or two’s notice. I’d want Justin Gaethje to pull out.

“Gaethje pulls out, I fight Topuria, take the belt, and kick him out of the UFC. That’s my goal.”

👀 Colby Covington meets Arman Tsarukyan face-to-face at #RAF08 pic.twitter.com/1Uz95DiucQ

— FREAK.MMA (@FREAKMMA1) April 19, 2026

Arman Tsarukyan was last in action late last year, when he submitted Dan Hooker in round two. Many believe he should have gotten a crack at Topuria, who claimed the belt with a knockout of Charles Oliveira, before Gaethje. In any case, Gaethje will be up next. He became the interim champ with a decision win over Paddy Pimblett in January.

UFC Freedom 250 will also feature an interim heavyweight title fight, with former middleweight and light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira taking on multiple-time title challenger Ciryl Gane.