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Arman Tsarukyan has been linked to Islam Makhachev from the moment he signed with the UFC. In a recent interview, Tsarukyan was asked about Ilia Topuria's chances against Makhachev, and his assessment of the Georgian-Spaniard was fair, more flattering.
Many think that Topuria will be overwhelmed by Makhachev's skill set and size advantage. However, 'Ahalkalakets' believes 'La Leyenda' possesses the attributes to trouble the Dagestani champion more than anyone else in the division, except for him, of course. He said:
"I think Topuria is the one who might give Islam problems. Topuria and me. Nobody else in this weight class could give Islam a good fight. I don't see anyone else. [Justin] Gaethje is just easy money for Islam, who else? He has already beaten [Charles] Oliveira once. Nobody else."
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Besides his prediction for how well Topuria would fare against Makhachev, Tsarukyan also lambasted the lightweight division's current logjam at the top.
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"Oliveira lost to me then beat a guy [Michael Chandler] ranked #10 and wants to fight for the title. Gaethje lost to [Max] Holloway, then beat [Rafael] Fiziev, who was #12 or #11, plus he fought on a four-day notice, it was a close fight, and now he also wants a title shot. I don't know, it looks like a circus."
Check out Arman Tsarukyan's comments below:
Arman Tsarukyan recently turned down a fight
Arman Tsarukyan's last loss was to Matesuz Gamrot via unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 57 in 2022. It was a controversial defeat, with some believing Tsarukyan had done enough to win. Despite the blemish on his record, 'Ahalkalakets' isn't interested in a rematch, having turned down a fight with a foe implied to be Gamrot.
The Armenian's reasoning was the disparity between their rankings. Tsarukyan is on a four-fight win streak and is currently the No.1 lightweight in the world, while Gamrot, ranked No. 7.
Tsarukyan said:
"They offered me a fight in Abu Dhabi in July, main event. But I turned it down because they offered me an opponent I didn't want to fight. He is below me in the rankings."
Check out Arman Tsarukyan's comments below:
