“He won’t want to fight me” – Arman Tsarukyan Claims He Will Not Get the Next Title Shot Against Ilia Topuria
Arman Tsarukyan doesn’t see himself getting first crack at Ilia Topuria’s lightweight gold.
After capturing the featherweight division’s top prize in 2024, ‘El Matador’ etched his name in the history books at UFC 317, brutally KO’ing Charles Oliveira in the opening round to capture the 155-crown and become a two-division champion.
Since then, fans have been chomping at the bit to find out who would be first up to challenge Topuria’s lightweight title reign. Many assumed it would be Tsarukyan, considering he is the division’s top-ranked contender.
But according to the man himself, the UFC is much more likely to strike while the iron is hot by putting Paddy Pimblett in that spot over himself and former BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje.
“No, Gaethje won’t fight Topuria,” Tsarukyan told Sport24 (Russian translation via Championship Rounds). “It’s my opinion. The UFC can do whatever they want. The UFC could even put Topuria against a debutant. But I think it’s more likely to be Pimblett than Gaethje.”
Gaethje has been lobbying hard for a third shot at the lightweight title following his defeat of Rafael Fiziev in March. Unfortunately, it sounds as though the UFC is ready to call Gaethje’s bluff.
Tsarukyan thinks Topuria’s stay at lightweight will be a short one
Topuria only defended his featherweight crown once, scoring a vicious third-round KO against Max Holloway at UFC 308. A few months later, ‘El Matador’ laid down his gold in a bid to move up and conquer another weight class.
As it turns out, Tsarukyan believes that Topuria’s stay at lightweight could be just as short as his reign at 145, but that all depends on how things play out when Islam Makhachev challenges welterweight titleholder Jack Della Maddalena.
“I think he’ll defend his title,” Tsarukyan said of Pimblett. “If Islam wins the [welterweight] title, [Topuria] will move up to 170 and want to become a triple champ.”
Topuria initially moved up to lightweight intent on fighting Makhachev, who sat atop the 155-pound throne at the time. But almost as soon as Topuria announced he was moving up, so did Makhachev. If ‘The Dagestani Destroyer’ succeeds in his own bid to become a two-division king, perhaps we’ll see Toupria jump up to 170, chasing both Makhachev and UFC history in the process.
