Tsarukyan wants Gaethje to miss weight so he can fight and 'kick out' Topuria

Arman Tsarukyan stated he hopes Justin Gaethje misses weight so he can fight Ilia Topuria instead and "kick him out of the UFC," calling it his goal. Tsarukyan also said he won't stop until he has at least five UFC title defenses. Merab Dvalishvili commented that he has no problems with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, saying he simply doesn't like him, while emphasizing healthy competition among fighters from Armenia, Georgia, Chechnya, and Dagestan. Topuria, who recently updated his chest tattoo, called Tsarukyan "extremely stupid" and "a complete idiot," saying everything he sees about him online is cringe. He also mocked Tsarukyan for not being rich and spending his father's money, calling him a child who isn't on his level and threatening to break his jaw in the first round if they fight. Additionally, Tsarukyan discussed a possible fight with Alexander Volkanovski and outlined near-term prospects for Khamzat Chimaev, Demetrious Johnson predicted a confident victory for Chimaev over Sean Strickland, and Benoit Saint-Denis appeared to announce a fight with Paddy Pimblett by posting roast beef (an English dish) on social media. Bogdan Guskov declined a fight with Baranyevski.