"I know the UFC is cautious" - Khabib Nurmagomedov pours cold water on Ilia Topuria hype, backs Arman Tsarukyan

Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) showers praises on Arman Tsarukyan (right). [Images courtesy: Getty]
Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) showers praises on Arman Tsarukyan (right). [Images courtesy: Getty]

Khabib Nurmagomedov recently shared his thoughts on a potential matchup between Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan. He noted that Tsarukyan has better odds of defeating Topuria and mentioned that the UFC is unlikely to schedule their fight anytime soon due to the Georgian-Spaniard's rising stardom.

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'El Matador' is currently the lightweight champion, having defeated Charles Oliveira for the vacant title at UFC 317. Meanwhile, Tsarukyan is the top-ranked contender for the title and is on a four-fight win streak in the promotion.

During a discussion with Kamil Gadzhiev on YouTube, Nurmagomedov expressed his views on Tsarukyan's chances against Topuria, saying:

"I don't see [Ilia] Topuria having a chance. Arman [Tsarukyan] fights too well at range against strikers. He keeps his distance well, works better with his kicks. And now, Arman has improved a lot. He has footage that he can study and analyze. If they fought three years ago, maybe he wouldn't have been as cautious. But now, you can clearly see what dangers Topuria brings."
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He added:

"I'd say it's 80%-20% in Arman's favor... He's taller by almost 10 centimeters if I'm not mistaken. He's heavier and on fight night, he'll be the bigger man... It's an interesting fight. I know the UFC is cautious, they didn't want to throw him to Topuria too quickly. Right now, Topuria is a bigger star than Arman."
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Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments below (via @ChampRDS on X):

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Demetrious Johnson draws parallels between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Ilia Topuria

Khabib Nurmagomedov is considered one of the greatest of all time (GOATs) in MMA, having retired with an undefeated record of 29-0. Ilia Topuria currently holds a perfect record of 17-0 in professional MMA.

In a discussion on The Mighty Guru Show, Demetrious Johnson suggested that Topuria has the potential to end his career like that of Nurmagomedov:

"I think he's a unicorn. I think you're gonna see him three or four more times, maybe five, max... and he's going to disappear. Just like, 'I'm done.' Undefeated, he could be a potential Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. Someone who just leaves the sport. It's like, 'I'm done, don't need to prove anything. I won the belt at '45, 55...' and should potentially, he can fight at 170 too!" [4:00 of the episode]

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Edited by Nilaav Gogoi
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