Arman Tsarukyan Admits the Lightweight Division Was Better With Islam Makhachev on Top: “I Wish Islam Was the Champion”
No. 1 UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan has taken a sly dig at 155-pound kingpin Ilia Topuria and praised newly minted welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Tsarukyan believes the lightweight division is heading towards the right direction but he wishes Makhachev was still the champion instead of ‘El Matador.’ The Armenian fighter complained about how Topuria does not remain active but seeks for easier matchups. However, Makhachev was quite the opposite and fought anyone the UFC wanted him to.
In a recent intweview with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, ‘Ahalkalakets’ said:
“Yeah pretty good, but I wish Islam was the champion in our division. Because he takes fights with contenders and fight with everybody but Ilia trying to fight an easy fight for him.”
Check out Arman Tsarukyan’s comments below (3:34):
Arman Tsarukyan has fought Makhachev once in the past and lost by unanimous decision. The second time, when he was scheduled to fight the Dagestani for the belt, he had to withdraw in the final hours because of 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 like a “title fight”
To get back into title contention, Arman Tsarukyan is taking his fight with Dan Hooker quite seriously. The two are scheduled to headline UFC Qatar this weekend.
In the interview posted above, while talking about how this fight after a brief hiatus is important for his career trajectory, he said:
“It means everything for me. If I lose, I lose everything. If I win, I win everything as well. So this is like a title fight for me. It’s a five rounds main event and this fight I must win and get my title fight. It’s so important for me and that’s why I’m really focused on this fight. “ [4:23]
Check out the faceoff between Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker ahead of UFC Qatar below:
