Tsarukyan wants Topuria fight; calls champion 'incredibly stupid'

Arman Tsarukyan stated he would like to see Charles Oliveira miss weight so he could fight Ilia Topuria and "kick him out of the UFC," saying that is his goal. Tsarukyan added he will only stop when he has at least five title defenses in the UFC. Merab Dvalishvili commented that he has no problems with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, whom he dislikes, and emphasized healthy competition among fighters from Armenia, Georgia, Chechnya, and Dagestan. Topuria, who recently updated his chest tattoo, responded by calling Tsarukyan incredibly stupid and a complete embarrassment, adding that Tsarukyan is not on his level and that he would break his jaw in the first round if they fought. Tsarukyan also discussed a potential fight with Alexander Volkanovski and outlined possible prospects for Khamzat Chimaev. Demetrious Johnson predicted a confident victory for Chimaev over Sean Strickland. Benoit Saint-Denis appeared to announce a fight with Paddy Pimblett by posting a roast beef image to social media. Bogdan Guskov declined a fight with an opponent named Baranievski.