Few in the UFC hold grudges like CEO Dana White. He’s currently under fire for skipping top-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan for the interim title and instead giving No. 5-ranked Paddy Pimblett the shot against Justin Gaethje at UFC 324. As the winner is set to face Ilian Topuria to unify the belts, it puts Tsarukyan’s title aspirations in “purgatory”. After UFC veteran Daniel Cormier publicly backed Tsarukyan for a title shot, another veteran has now joined the conversation.

The Russian-Armenian star withdrew from UFC 311 just hours before his scheduled title fight against Islam Makhachev, citing a back injury. But White later revealed that Arman Tsarukyan had actually missed weight, which reportedly put him out of White’s favor. Despite that setback, Tsarukyan bounced back, made a weight for UFC 317 against Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira, and quickly submitted Dan Hooker in November. Still, he hasn’t fully regained the UFC’s trust. Now, Chael Sonnen is calling on the promotion to let go of the past.

Dana White & UFC face pressure to reward Arman Tsarukyan

“Can we please forgive him? Whatever he did to get himself in this weird purgatory, can we also remember that he agreed to be a backup fighter? He went through the commission and made weight. He was ready to go on at a moment’s notice. You get something for that,” UFC veteran Chael Sonnen told David Schmulenson (The Schmo) at the RAF 05 event.

‘Ahalkalakets’ was a part of the event where he defeated Lance Palmer 10-0 in an All-American Freestyle Wrestling bout. While the Russian-Armenian star stepped into the Octagon only once in the last year, he spent most of his time on the mats, sharpening his grappling skills. He competed in five grappling matches, winning four, while his HYP FC bout against fellow UFC star Shara Magomedov ended in a draw.

“I want him to get something for that..want him recognized. I forgive Arman Tsarukyan, and I want other people to forgive him,” Chael Sonnen added.

Meanwhile, Dana White has cleared up any confusion among critics. Last month, White confirmed that he doesn’t “dislike” Tsarukyan or hold any grudge against him and revealed that he has been supporting him behind the scenes. In fact, White guided the media to avoid escalating the matter.

‘Ahalkalakets’ stated that the UFC bypassed him at UFC 324 purely for “business” reasons rather than personal ones, as UFC 324 marked the kickoff of the promotion’s seven-year broadcasting deal with Paramount. “It’s a big marketing, big business… they need American champions, English champions, that’s my opinion,” Arman Tsarukyan said last month.

However, he also stressed that he holds no ill will toward the promotion or UFC CEO Dana White. Tsarukyan revealed that the UFC has “changed” his contract, hinting that they plan to upgrade his deal to a better one, a point that UFC veteran Daniel Cormier also has a theory about.

Cormier offers insight into UFC’s decision to bypass Tsarukyan

Daniel Cormier recently voiced suspicion over the Arman Tsarukyan–UFC situation. With all the chatter surrounding the UFC 324 main event, Ilia Topuria recently hinted that he will fight Pimblett if he wins, while suggesting different plans for Gaethje. Apart from the interim title fight, UFC 326 will feature Charles Oliveira against Max Holloway for the BMF title, which further keeps Tsarukyan away from the lightweight title contention.

Meanwhile, Cormier has stepped into the discussion, calling ‘Ahalkalakets’ the “best lightweight in the world” since Islam Makhachev moved to 170. He had previously promoted a potential matchup between Tsarukyan and Topuria. Considering these mixed signals, DC suspects that UFC is planning something significant behind the scenes, and so far, Tsarukyan has not pushed back against the promotion’s decisions.

“I don’t know what conversations they are having behind closed doors are because they’re telling him something that’s making him okay with it, right? Because if he wasn’t okay with it he would be more loud about him not getting his opportunity. So I kinda defer to ‘they know more than we do’ and we got to accept it for what it is,” he told RED Corner MMA.

With so much insight coming from UFC insiders, what do you think is next for Arman Tsarukyan? Do you believe the promotion has secret plans for him? If so, what could they be? Share your thoughts below.