Arman Tsarukyan took a jab at Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling background during a recent exchange. Tsarukyan sarcastically referenced Chimaev as a four-time Swedish wrestling champion, suggesting the accomplishment was not particularly impressive. Chimaev responded defensively, telling Tsarukyan to leave and pointing out that Tsarukyan himself was never a wrestling champion. The social media exchange highlights the ongoing verbal rivalry between the two fighters. The post was shared through Tsarukyan's social media accounts.
Arman Tsarukyan took a shot at Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling credentials in a recent social media exchange, sarcastically invoking Chimaev's status as a four-time Swedish wrestling champion in a way that made clear he was not impressed by the achievement. Chimaev fired back, telling Tsarukyan to leave him alone and noting that Tsarukyan himself had never claimed a wrestling title of any kind.
Tsarukyan, 29, competes at lightweight and currently sits at number one in that division with a professional record of 23-3. The Russia-born fighter, who trains out of American Top Team, carries a reach of 72 inches and lands 3.85 significant strikes per minute with 50 percent accuracy. His takedown output averages 3.26 per 15 minutes, making him a credible wrestler in his own right despite Chimaev's pointed counter.
Chimaev, 32, is the number one ranked middleweight and sits tenth in the pound-for-pound rankings, carrying a record of 15-1. Fighting out of Allstars Training Center and representing the United Arab Emirates, the six-foot-two Borz boasts some of the more dominant grappling numbers in the sport, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes to go alongside a striking accuracy of 60 percent. The Swedish wrestling background Tsarukyan mocked has clearly translated to elite-level mixed martial arts performance.
Why it matters
- The two fighters compete in different weight classes, but both hold the number one ranking in their respective divisions, giving any rivalry genuine cross-divisional prestige.
- Chimaev has spoken publicly about moving between middleweight and welterweight, and Tsarukyan is a top lightweight, making an actual bout between them a significant weight-class hurdle.
- The exchange keeps both fighters in the public conversation during what appears to be a quiet period between scheduled bouts.
- Chimaev's defensive response suggests the wrestling jab landed with some effect, adding an edge to what has become an ongoing verbal back-and-forth.
