Arman Tsarukyan wants Topuria fight if Gaethje pulls out, targets 5 defenses

Arman Tsarukyan stated he wants to fight Ilia Topuria and "kick him out of the UFC" if Justin Gaethje withdraws from his scheduled bout. Tsarukyan also declared he won't stop until he has at least five title defenses in the UFC. Separately, Merab Dvalishvili commented that he has no issues with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, whom he dislikes, while emphasizing healthy competition among fighters from Armenia, Georgia, Chechnya, and Dagestan. Topuria, who recently updated his chest tattoo, harshly criticized Tsarukyan as unintelligent and predicted he would break his jaw in the first round if they fought. Additional news included Benoit Saint-Denis apparently calling out Paddy Pimblett, and Bogdan Guskov declining a fight with an unnamed opponent.