'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Arman Tsarukyan has weighed in with his take on Justin Gaethje’s fight against Charles Oliveira. In an interview with James Lynch, Tsarukyan took a jibe at Gaethje and suggested that ‘The Highlight’ lacked the grappling skills to compete against Oliveira.
Gaethje fought Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 274 on May 7. Unfortunately, Oliveira was stripped of his lightweight title heading into the fight, as he missed weight by 0.5 pounds.
However, since Gaethje made weight, he was eligible to win the title. Nevertheless, 'The Highlight' came up short, losing to Oliveira via a rear-naked choke submission in round one of their showdown.
On that note, Lynch asked Tsarukyan about Charles Oliveira’s win over Gaethje and how impressed he was by the Brazilian BJJ savant’s performance. Tsarukyan responded by indicating that Gaethje should’ve been better prepared to deal with the jiu-jitsu threat that Oliveira brings to the octagon. Tsarukyan stated:
“You know, it was like, I didn’t know that [Justin] Gaethje like, he doesn’t have grappling. You know, zero grappling. I mean, when Charles took his neck, he just stayed. He just stayed, and he didn’t move. And I don’t know. If you’re gonna fight with Charles Oliveira, you gotta know about jiu-jitsu more than, you know, than enough.”
Watch Tsarukyan address Gaethje’s fight with Oliveira in the video below:
Ali Abdelaziz on why Justin Gaethje deserves to face a big-name opponent in his next fight
No.11-ranked UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan will face the No.12-ranked Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Fight Night 208 on June 25th. Meanwhile, the No.3-ranked Justin 'The Highlight' Gaethje’s next opponent is yet to be revealed.
Speaking to ESPN MMA after Gaethje’s loss to Oliveira, MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz lobbied for ‘The Highlight’ to face a high-profile opponent in his next matchup.
Abdelaziz alluded to the fact that win or lose, his client Justin Gaethje has consistently put on entertaining performances inside the octagon. He emphasized that Gaethje most definitely deserves to fight MMA megastars such as Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz, or perhaps Dustin Poirier next. Abdelaziz said:
"Justin Gaethje is always going to be must watch TV. Must watch video game. Must watch pay-per-view. He's one of a kind. There's never gonna be anyone else like Justin Gaethje... We're gonna see Justin come back. I'd like to see Justin fight some of these f*****g guys man. Like Nate Diaz versus Gaethje. Conor McGregor, Gaethje. Dustin Poirier rematch! I think he's a big enough star to fight these guys. Like someone like Masvidal too. Gaethje versus Masvidal would be great."
Check out the full interview with ESPN MMA below:
