Even Khabib Nurmagomedov Cannot Submit Islam Makhachev – Arman Tsarukyan Laughs at Ilia Topuria’s Claim
Arman Tsarukyan is not buying Ilia Topuria’s latest prediction. During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s show, Tsarukyan laughed off the idea that Topuria could submit Islam Makhachev, then delivered the line that quickly became the headline: “Submit Islam? Even Khabib cannot submit Islam.” He followed that by saying Topuria has a better chance of knocking Makhachev out than beating him on the mat.
“Even Khabib Can’t Submit Islam” Arman Tsarukyan Fires Back at Ilia Topuria
Khabib Nurmagomedov is widely seen as one of the best grapplers in MMA history and the central figure in the system that helped shape Makhachev’s style. Khabib retired unbeaten at 29-0, ruled the UFC lightweight division, and built his name on chain wrestling, top control, and submissions that broke opponents round after round. It is a way of saying Makhachev’s defensive grappling is so strong that even the man most associated with that style would struggle to tap him.
“Submit Islam? He has a better chance of knocking out Islam than submitting him. I don’t think even Khabib can submit Islam.”
Makhachev owns one of the strongest grappling resumes in the division and added to it at UFC 311, where he submitted Renato Moicano with a D’arce choke in the first round. That win pushed him to a record lightweight title defense, moving him past Khabib Nurmagomedov, Benson Henderson, and B.J. Penn in UFC lightweight title history.
Islam Makhachev moved up to welterweight and became a two-division UFC champion by beating Jack Della Maddalena for the 170-pound belt at UFC 322, a result that ended his lightweight reign and opened the door at 155. Topuria, the former featherweight champion, then captured the vacant lightweight title with a first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, giving extra weight to the old debate over whether his path against Makhachev would have come on the feet or on the mat.
Topuria, though, has not sounded like a man backing away from the challenge. In an interview, he said that if he got the chance to fight Makhachev, his plan would be to take him down and submit him. He framed that outcome as the type of finish that would surprise the world, which fits the confidence he has shown in recent months while discussing possible opponents at lightweight. Separate social clips also circulated a sharper version of that boast, including the claim that he would ask Makhachev what his favorite submission is and beat him with it in front of Khabib.
Tsarukyan’s pushback is rooted in familiarity. He has shared the cage with Makhachev before and has long been viewed as one of the division’s more credible voices on elite lightweight wrestling. In simple terms, Tsarukyan is arguing that submitting Makhachev is a very different task from submitting most athletes, even for a fighter as confident and dangerous as Topuria.
For now, Tsarukyan’s position is clear. He is not saying Topuria has no path at all. He is saying that if a path exists, it is far more likely to come through striking than through a submission against one of the division’s most trusted grapplers.
