"He was a goal for us" - Arman Tsarukyan opens up about idolizing Khabib Nurmagomedov in MMA beginnings

Arman Tsarukyan recently expressed his admiration for Khabib Nurmagomedov. Tsarukyan said he idolized Nurmagomedov during his early MMA days.

Tsarukyan is currently in the United States to help undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev prepare for his upcoming middleweight title fight against reigning champion Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319. The ninth pay-per-view card of the year will take place on Aug. 16 at the United Center in Chicago.

During a recent conversation with UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell on his YouTube channel called King Of Violence, Tsarukyan stated that he grew up watching Nurmagomedov, who achieved immense success in the sport.

''I got a lot of favorite fighters. I always watch their fights to see how they move, how they wrestle. But if we say who inspired me when I was young, it was Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. Because he's from Russia and I I'm from Russia as well. I live there and like when I started training MMA, he was a goal for us. But he wasn't the champ that moment but like he was he was so famous that moment.''

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Check out Arman Tsarukyan's comments below (3:55):

Notably, Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as one of the best MMA fighters to compete in the UFC. The Dagestani legend retired with an unbeaten professional record of 29-0. In his last octagon appearance at UFC 254 in 2020, he successfully unified his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje and laid down his gloves inside the cage due to his father's demise earlier that year.

As for Tsarukyan, he received an opportunity to challenge Nurmagomedov's close friend and then-champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311. However, the 28-year-old withdrew from the title fight due to a back injury.

When Khabib Nurmagomedov hailed Arman Tsarukyan to be a tougher fight for Islam Makhachev than Ilia Topuria

Before becoming the new lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria called out Islam Makhachev on several occasions. However, Makhachev dismissed the Georgian-Spaniard and moved up to welterweight, vacating his 155-pound belt.

Earlier this year, Khabib Nurmagomedov spoke to Adam Zubayraev and said that Arman Tsarukyan would be a more formidable opponent for Makhachev than Topuria:

''My personal opinion, not necessarily [more] dangerous, let’s say more competitive. I think it’s Tsarukyan. I think Arman is a more serious fighter than Topuria. Topuria is a good fighter at 145 but we haven’t seen him at 155. I believe Arman is more competitive for Islam than Topuria.''

Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments below (2:34):

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena