UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov remained blunt regarding Ilia Topuria’s future success in Nurmagomedov’s old division: lightweight. Nurmagomedov has retired from MMA in recent years but still follows the happenings of the lighter-weight divisions closely enough to make educated predictions about its immediate future.
In a recent interview with Kamil Gadzhiyev), Nurmagomedov scoffed at the idea of Topuria, fresh off a KO victory against Charles Oliveira in June, having long-term success in the weight class.
Eventually, Nurmagomedov says one lightweight contender will find a gaping hole to exploit Topuria if they were to fight: Arman Tsarukyan.
Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Arman Tsarukyan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Tsarukyan was initially scheduled to face then-champion Islam Makhachev in January at UFC 311, but a back injury the day before the main event sidelined Tsarukyan. This last-minute change led to Tsarukyan losing out on the title shot altogether as Makhachev went on to beat Renato Moicano in his final defense before transitioning to welterweight, as Makhachev awaits a title shot opposite Jack Della Maddalena later this year.
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Khabib doesn’t see Ilia Topuria having a chance against Arman Tsarukyan 😳
“I believe right now, the best lightweight is [Tsarukyan]… I’d say it’s 80%-20% in Arman’s favor.
We all know the level of wrestling that Holloway and Charles Oliveira had. It’s practically… pic.twitter.com/lay29wEHiN
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 25, 2025
“I believe right now, the best lightweight is [Tsarukyan]… I’d say it’s 80%-20% in Arman’s favor,” Nurmagomedov said.
Nurmagomedov says Topuria has has yet to be tested on the ground despite Oliveira entering the fight with a fourth-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. None of those attributes from Oliveira were displayed, of course.
Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Ilia Topuria celebrates his championship victory against Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
“We all know the level of wrestling that [Max] Holloway and Charles Oliveira had,” Nurmagomedov said. “It’s practically nonexistent. But a guy who [wrestles], Topuria hasn’t faced that. He’s only fought strikers.”
Nurmagomedov has a belief the UFC is waiting for the right opportunity to give Tsarukyan a title fight even though the promotion has still yet to pull the trigger since the injury.
Possibly, Tsarukyan may need one more fight to reaffirm himself as the division’s No. 1 contender which may delay a title fight even further.
“I know the UFC is cautious,” Nurmagomedov said. “They don’t want to throw him to Topuria too quickly. Right now, Topuria is a bigger star than Arman. But if Arman gets a big win, where can they hide him? They won’t be able to.”
Nurmagomedov’s remarks have been viewed over 1.3 million times since early Monday morning, drawing mixed reactions from the MMA community.
Whatever the UFC decides to do next will likely be labeled as controversial as the promotion is still finalizing the remaining schedule for the rest of the year.
For now, only time will tell.
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