Arman Tsarukyan thinks it’s smart for Ilia Topuria to try to fight Islam Makhachev next.
In two weeks, Topuria takes on Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC White House, and should he win, Topuria has hinted he will attempt to move up to 170 pounds to challenge welterweight champion Islam Makhachev. Doing so would mean he skips a fight with top lightweight contender Tsarukyan, and instead can chase a history-making third UFC title. And while Tsarukyan very much wants to fight Topuria, he thinks
that, if he can, Topuria would be smart to move up.
“If UFC let’s him move up, he’s going to move up,” Tsarukyan said at his RAF 9 post-fight scrum. “It’s better to fight with Islam than me. Because it’s a third title, big money, and if he loses to Islam, it’s OK. He moved up to a weight class and lose to pound-for-pound [king]. But if he loses to me at 155, he’s gonna be gone.”
Tsarukyan and Topuria have gone back and forth for months now, with Tsarukyan lobbying for his opportunity to fight for the lightweight title, while Topuria remains focused first on fighting Gaethje, and then on chasing down Makhachev. As a result, Tsarukyan is left in limbo, waiting for the Topuria situation to be figured out. But he hopes that it will be sorted soon.
“I’m waiting for the White House card,” Tsarukyan said when asked about his next fight. “When they’re going to fight, and then they’re going to announce my next fight. Probably September, October, or the end of this year. Depends who is going to win. If it’s Ilia, probably end of this year. If it’s Gaethje, probably September, October.”
And as for who will win that fight, Tsarukyan won’t count Gaethje out, but he favors his rival to get the win and retain the lightweight title.
“I think Ilia Topuria, but Justin, he’s an OG,” Tsarukyan said. “You never know. When he fought with Fiziev, everybody thought, young, good striker, going to knock him out, but he went there and showed still he can compete at the highest level. Same with Paddy Pimblett. Like, 60-40 [Topuria].”
If that does come to pass, it’s unclear what’s next at lightweight. While Topuria would choose to move up, the welterweight title picture is already chock full of contenders. And given Topuria only moved up to lightweight last year, the UFC may prefer he stick around. Plus, Tsarukyan believes there’s a growing surge of fans wanting to see him and Topuria finally settle up.
“I can see what people are saying and what social media is talking about,” Tsarukyan said. “Everybody wants to see me vs. Ilia. Everybody is excited for that fight. Even me.”
