Arman Tsarukyan vows to knock Topuria out of UFC, targets five title defenses

Lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan stated he wants Justin Gaethje to withdraw so he can fight Ilia Topuria and "kick him out of the UFC," calling it his goal. The Armenian fighter also declared he will only stop when he has a minimum of five UFC title defenses. Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili clarified he has no problems with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, saying he simply doesn't like that particular fighter, and that Armenia, Georgia, Chechnya and Dagestan all have hardworking people who are friends with healthy competition. Topuria responded by calling Tsarukyan "incredibly stupid" and claiming he would break his jaw in the first round if they fought, adding that Tsarukyan spends his father's money rather than his own. Additional news includes Tsarukyan discussing a potential Volkanovski fight, Demetrious Johnson predicting Khamzat Chimaev over Sean O'Malley, and Bogdan Guskov declining a fight with Michal Baranyevski.