Arman Tsarukyan wants Gaethje to drop out so he can fight and remove Topuria

Arman Tsarukyan stated he hopes Justin Gaethje withdraws from his fight so that he can face Ilia Topuria and remove him from the UFC, calling it his goal. He also declared he will only stop when he has a minimum of five UFC title defenses. Merab Dvalishvili commented that he has no problems with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, whom he simply dislikes, adding that fighters from Armenia, Georgia, Chechnya, and Dagestan are all hardworking and have healthy competition. Topuria, who recently updated his chest tattoo, called Tsarukyan extremely stupid and said if they meet in the octagon, he will break his jaw in the first round. Tsarukyan also discussed a potential bout with Alexander Volkanovski and outlined near-term prospects for Khamzat Chimaev. Demetrious Johnson predicted a confident victory for Chimaev over Sean Strickland, while Benoit Saint-Denis appeared to announce a fight with Paddy Pimblett by posting roast beef on social media. Bogdan Guskov declined a fight with an unnamed opponent.