Arman Tsarukyan claims Ilia Topuria rivalry isn’t personal

UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan has claimed that there’s nothing personal when it comes to the rivalry between himself and Ilia Topuria.

Last night at UFC Qatar, Arman Tsarukyan really reached a new level. After a long time out of the cage, he managed to get back in there and dominate Dan Hooker before finishing him with a second round submission in the main event. Many felt as if he would be able to get the job done, but the manner in which he dusted off Hooker certainly raised a few eyebrows.

Undoubtedly, it also caught the attention of UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. El Matador’ has looked pretty invincible ever since he really came into the promotion, and especially in his last three fights with knockout wins over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira.

In his post-fight press conference, Arman Tsarukyan spoke openly about their ongoing feud.

Arman Tsarukyan discusses Ilia Topuria rivalry

“I didn’t want to mention Ilia [too much] because I was focused on my fight,” Tsarukyan said at the UFC Qatar post-fight press conference. “After today, I’m going to try to again create some crazy videos that are going to be viral and try to make a joke and to bring a lot of eyes for that fight. Because it’s a media sport, too. You’ve got to be a good fighter and a good showman.

“In my mind, I can strike with him in the long distance but when he wants to try to box me and throw his hard punch, I’m going to shoot and take him down. I believe in myself and I know I can beat him so easy as well.”

“To be honest, I didn’t actually see him either,” Tsarukyan said. “If I did know that it was him, I didn’t realize it in the moment. But if I did know it was him, I would probably try to find him, maybe see his gaze and look in his eyes.

“But to be honest, we have nothing personal between us. This is all media, this is all hype. Obviously, we’re trying to hype up the fight but specifically personal, we don’t have anything. Because if we had anything, I’m sure we would take care of it by now.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting