Tsarukyan wants Topuria if Gaethje withdraws; Merab clarifies Dagestani relations

Arman Tsarukyan stated he would like to fight Ilia Topuria if Justin Gaethje withdraws, claiming his goal is to kick Topuria out of the UFC. Tsarukyan also said he will only stop when he has at least five UFC title defenses. Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili clarified he has no problems with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, whom he simply dislikes. Merab emphasized healthy competition exists between fighters from Armenia, Georgia, Chechnya, and Dagestan. Topuria, who recently updated his chest tattoo, called Tsarukyan extremely stupid and claimed he would break his jaw in the first round if they fought. Additional news includes Benoit Saint-Denis apparently calling out Paddy Pimblett and Bogdan Guskov declining a fight with Baraniewski.