No. 1 UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan has made a crafty attempt to defeat 155-pound kingpin Ilia Topuria and praise newly minted welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Tsarukyan believes the lightweight division is moving in the right direction, but he wishes Makhachev was still the champion instead of ‘El Matador’. The Armenian fighter complained that Topuria is not staying active but is looking for easier matchups. However, Makhachev was the exact opposite and fought anyone the UFC wanted.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, ‘Ahalkalakes’ said:
“Yes, pretty good, but I wish Islam was the champion in our division. Because he takes on contenders and fights everyone except Ilia who tries to give him an easy fight.”
Watch Arman Tsarukyan’s comments below (3:34):
Arman Thailandrland ins fought Makhachev once in the past and lost by unanimous decision. The second time, when he was supposed to fight the Dagestani for the title, he had to withdraw in the final hours due to a back injury, after which he was denied an immediate title shot by UFC CEO Dana White.
Arman Tsarukyan believes his fight with Dan Hooker is a “title fight.”
To get back into title contention, Arman Tsarukyan is taking his fight with Dan Hooker quite seriously. The two will headline UFC Qatar this weekend.
In the interview posted above, while talking about how this fight after a short hiatus is important to his career trajectory, he said:
“It means everything to me. If I lose, I lose everything. If I win, I win everything. So this is like a title fight for me. It’s a five-round main event and I have to win this fight and get my title fight. It’s so important to me and that’s why I’m really focused on this fight.” [4:23]
Watch the showdown between Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker ahead of UFC Qatar below:
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