Arman Tsarukyan Collects $5.7 Million After Gaethje Upset

Arman Tsarukyan had a very good Sunday night — twice over.

The top lightweight contender watched Ilia Topuria, one of his most bitter rivals, quit on his stool at UFC Freedom 250 and hand Justin Gaethje the undisputed lightweight title in one of the most shocking upsets in recent UFC history. Tsarukyan had $1 million riding on exactly that outcome. At the odds available, the winning wager returned $5.7 million.

Hours before the main event began, Tsarukyan ended the silence he had maintained since Dana White publicly insisted it was a friend — not the fighter himself — who had placed the bet.

Tsarukyan had been named as the backup fighter for the main event at UFC Freedom 250 but ultimately chose not to cut down to 155 pounds on the off-chance that Topuria or Gaethje pulled out at the last minute. In hindsight, it was not the worst decision he made this week. Staying off the scale and keeping the bet live proved considerably more lucrative than a standby role that never materialised.

The rivalry with Topuria has been one of the more entertaining peripheral storylines in the lightweight division for the better part of a year — the champion calling him a man-child and questioning his wealth, Tsarukyan responding with a million-dollar public wager on Topuria's opponent. The champion is now the former champion, Tsarukyan is $5.7 million richer, and the needle on that rivalry has moved to a place neither man could have scripted before Sunday.