The first number in the UFC lightweight division ranking, Arman Tsarukyan, published a video of training on social networks while flying on an airplane.

In the video, the fighter practices punches on his paws.

“You train at high altitudes, I train at the highest altitudes,” Tsarukyan wrote.

The video was also published by the UFC Eurasia Telegram channel with the caption: “Any time, anywhere.”

Tsarukyan defeated New Zealander Dan Hooker by submission in the second round at UFC Fight Night 265 in November 2025. He has 23 wins and three losses in MMA.

Watch live broadcasts of UFC tournaments on the Match TV and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.

In MMA and a number of other martial arts, the problem of weight loss is not any secret. Fighters, trying to fit into a category that is unnatural for themselves, torture their bodies in anticipation of the weigh-in. At times this leads to dire consequences, not in some distant future, but in the present.

The American fighter planned to fight at UFC 324, but immediately after the weigh-in he fell face first to the floor. He definitely has nothing to do in the octagon in the near future.

Bonus for Nurmagomedov

On the night of January 25, the UFC 324 tournament will take place in Las Vegas. Russian fighters Nikita Krylov, Umar Nurmagomedov and Andrey Pulyaev have made weight, so if no force majeure occurs, they can safely be expected in the Octagon. The main heroes of the evening, Englishman Paddy Pimblett and American Justin Gaethje, successfully completed the weigh-in procedure. And most of the other participants coped with the preliminary task, although there were some exceptions.

Nurmagomedov’s opponent Deiveson Figueredo showed 62.8 kg on the scales and did not meet the bantamweight limit. The fight with the participation of the Russian will still take place, but a quarter of the Brazilian’s fee will go to Umar in any case. However, this is not the worst option. American Cameron Smotherman, who also planned to participate in the tournament, made weight, but he definitely won’t enter the Octagon this time.

Umar Nurmagomedov / Photo: © Jeff Bottari / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.ru

Hospitalization instead of the octagon

28-year-old Cameron Smotherman, who won 14 victories and seven defeats, was going to compete with another American Ricky Turcios in the precard of the UFC 324 tournament. The fighter fit into the limit, but on the scales he didn’t look like a healthy person at all. However, in the world of MMA this is not the exception, but rather the rule. Suffice it to remember how exhausted former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov looked at the weigh-in at times.

Cameron Smotherman / Photo: © Jeff Bottari / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

But looking unimportant is one thing. As practice shows, in a matter of hours fighters gain kilograms and become much more energetic. But Cameron didn’t have time to recover: after getting off the scale, he took a few steps and fell unconscious on his face on the floor. Those around him were horrified, they turned the American over and began to revive him, but this did not help much. The athlete required serious medical intervention.

Smotherman was hospitalized and it was difficult to imagine that he would soon appear in the Octagon. The weight cutter knocked out the American, but what could his opponent do to him? Fortunately, the UFC did not tempt the athlete’s fate by leaving him without a fight. Turcios could theoretically have been quickly found a new opponent, but it was decided to do without a replacement and simply cancel the fight.

Watch the live broadcast of the UFC 324 tournament on Sunday from 1:00 Moscow time on the Match! TV channel. Fighter”, from 3:00 – on Match TV, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.