Arman Tsarukyan has stated he would like to fight Ilia Topuria if Justin Gaethje pulls out, claiming his goal is to "kick Topuria out of the UFC." Tsarukyan also declared he will only stop fighting once he has achieved a minimum of five UFC title defenses. In related commentary, Merab Dvalishvili said he has no issues with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, whom he dislikes personally, emphasizing that fighters from Armenia, Georgia, Chechnya, and Dagestan generally maintain healthy competition. Topuria, who recently updated his chest tattoo, responded by calling Tsarukyan unintelligent and dismissing him as irrelevant, claiming he would break his jaw in the first round. Additional news mentioned includes Tsarukyan discussing a potential fight with Alexander Volkanovski, Demetrious Johnson predicting a convincing Khamzat Chimaev victory over Sean O'Malley, Benoit Saint-Denis posting an image of roast beef (an English dish) to hint at a fight with Paddy Pimblett, and Bogdan Guskov declining a bout with an opponent surnamed Baraniewicz.
Arman Tsarukyan has turned up the heat on Ilia Topuria, stating publicly that he wants to fight the lightweight contender if Justin Gaethje withdraws from their scheduled bout, and going further to declare his ambition is to "kick Topuria out of the UFC." The Armenian lightweight also set a broader personal benchmark, saying he will not walk away from the sport until he has defended a UFC title at least five times.
Topuria, ranked second at lightweight and first in the pound-for-pound standings with a 17-1-0 record, did not take the callout quietly. The 29-year-old Spanish-Georgian fighter dismissed Tsarukyan as irrelevant and unintelligent, claiming he would finish him inside the first round. Topuria averages 4.81 significant strikes per minute and completes nearly two takedowns per fifteen minutes, making him a genuine two-way threat at 155 pounds.
Merab Dvalishvili added a subplot to the regional rivalry conversation, stating he holds no grudge against Dagestani fighters as a group but singled out Umar Nurmagomedov as someone he dislikes on a personal level. Nurmagomedov, ranked second in the bantamweight division at 20-1-0, is just 30 years old and lands an impressive 56 percent of his significant strikes while averaging more than four takedowns per fifteen minutes.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan inserting himself into the Topuria picture adds a credible backup option if the Gaethje fight falls apart, with real title implications at lightweight.
- A Tsarukyan-Topuria matchup would pit two of the division's most active strikers against each other, with Topuria's volume and grappling versatility central to any stylistic breakdown.
- The Dvalishvili-Nurmagomedov tension hints at a personal edge that could accelerate a bantamweight booking between two of the division's top-ranked fighters.
- Demetrious Johnson's public prediction of a convincing Khamzat Chimaev win over Sean O'Malley keeps attention on the unorthodox cross-divisional matchup involving the number-one ranked middleweight.
