Arman Tsarukyan might be Ilia Topuria’s kryptonite.
To many within the MMA community, Tsarukyan is the obvious No. 1 contender for the UFC Lightweight Championship. “Ahalkalakets” has found himself on the outside looking in, however. Justin Gaethje has first dibs on Topuria’s 155-pound gold after capturing the interim title in a unanimous decision win over Paddy Pimblett.
Still, the feeling is that it’s only a matter of time before Tsarukyan is booked for another title fight. The greatest UFC flyweight of all time, Demetrious Johnson, took to his YouTube channel to share his confidence in Tsarukyan. In fact, “Mighty Mouse” feels Tsarukyan has the best shot at dethroning Topuria (h/t MMAJunkie).
“After training with him, if he fights Ilia Topuria, I think he has the athletic ability, the skillset, the mixed martial artist, and the mindset to be able to beat Ilia Topuria,” Johnson said of Tsarukyan on his YouTube channel. “Does he deserve a title shot over Justin Gaethje? To be honest with you, Arman Tsarukyan should have fought either Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett for the interim title, but he didn’t.
“They didn’t choose him. They chose Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett, Justin Gaethje beat Paddy Pimblett, so by law, the interim champion should be fighting Ilia Topuria next, and that’s a fight that needs to happen. After that, Arman Tsarukyan should be fighting the winner of Justin Gaethje vs. Ilia Topuria. I think Arman Tsarukyan has the best chance in the lightweight division to beat Ilia Topuria.”
Tsarukyan has been on UFC’s bad side ever since he failed to weigh in for his planned Jan. 2025 title fight against Islam Makhachev. It was a highly anticipated bout that never happened due to an injury. UFC CEO Dana White has claimed that other issues behind the scenes have hindered Tsarukyan’s spot.
Do you think Arman Tsarukyan will ever get to share the Octagon with Ilia Topuria? Chat it up in the comment section below.