Arman Tsarukyan stated he hopes Justin Gaethje pulls out so he can fight Ilia Topuria and "throw him out of the UFC," declaring he won't stop until he has at least five title defenses. Merab Dvalishvili clarified he has no problems with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, emphasizing that Armenians, Georgians, Chechens, and Dagestanis generally maintain friendly competition. Topuria, who recently updated his chest tattoo, responded to Tsarukyan with harsh criticism, calling him unintelligent and claiming he would break his jaw in the first round if they fought. Additional updates included Tsarukyan discussing a potential Volkanovski bout, Demetrious Johnson predicting Chimaev over O'Malley, Benoit Saint-Denis announcing a fight with Paddy Pimblett via social media, and Bogdan Guskov declining a fight with Baraniewicz. Paulo Costa also responded to a callout from Guskov.
Arman Tsarukyan has publicly declared his desire to fight Ilia Topuria, stating he hopes Justin Gaethje withdraws from a potential matchup so he can step in and, in his words, remove Topuria from the UFC entirely. Tsarukyan added that he will not rest until he has secured at least five title defenses, signaling long-term championship ambitions at lightweight. Separately, Merab Dvalishvili moved to clarify his stance on regional rivalries, explaining that he holds no grievances toward Dagestani, Chechen, Georgian, or Armenian fighters as a whole — with one notable exception: Umar Nurmagomedov.
Topuria, currently ranked second at lightweight and sitting atop the pound-for-pound rankings at just 29 years old, wasted no time firing back. The Spanish-Georgian standout, who carries a 17-1 record and lands nearly five significant strikes per minute, dismissed Tsarukyan with sharp personal criticism and claimed he would break his jaw inside the opening round.
Nurmagomedov, who enters any conversation about divisional threats with a 20-1 record and a 56 percent striking accuracy at bantamweight, averages over four takedowns per fifteen minutes — making Dvalishvili's specific singling-out of him all the more pointed given both fighters' grappling-heavy identities.
The news cycle also included Tsarukyan floating a potential bout with Alexander Volkanovski, Benoit Saint-Denis announcing via social media that he will fight Paddy Pimblett, Bogdan Guskov declining a matchup with Baraniewicz, and Paulo Costa — the hard-hitting Brazilian middleweight ranked thirteenth at 185 pounds — responding to a callout from Guskov. Costa, who lands an extraordinary 6.26 significant strikes per minute with 58 percent accuracy, rarely needs much prompting to engage in a back-and-forth.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan targeting Topuria sets up a potential lightweight title picture shake-up if the Gaethje fight falls through
- Dvalishvili's specific callout of Nurmagomedov hints at a future bantamweight collision between two elite grapplers
- Saint-Denis versus Pimblett adds a high-profile lightweight matchup to the schedule, pending official confirmation
- Costa's response to Guskov could inject new life into the middleweight contender conversation
