Arman Tsarukyan responded to Ilia Topuria's recent comments directed at him with a crude joke about Topuria's body hair. Tsarukyan remarked, "If you watch his video, he doesn't have hair on his legs. Do you think he'll have hair on his ass?" The exchange appears to be part of ongoing verbal sparring between the two fighters. Neither fighter has provided additional context about what specifically triggered Tsarukyan's response. This continues the pattern of social media banter between top-ranked fighters in the lightweight and featherweight divisions.
Arman Tsarukyan fired back at Ilia Topuria's recent callout with a crude jab aimed squarely at the Georgian-Spaniard's physique, quipping that Topuria lacks hair on his legs and questioning whether the same applies elsewhere on his body.
Tsarukyan, ranked number one in the lightweight division at 29 years old, carries a 23-3 record and represents Russia under the American Top Team banner. Standing five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach, he is one of the division's most complete threats, averaging 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes and landing significant strikes at a 50 percent accuracy rate — among the sharper marks in the 155-pound class.
Topuria, ranked number two at lightweight and currently holding the pound-for-pound number one spot, brings a 17-1 record into any conversation about his future at 155 pounds. The 29-year-old fighting out of Spain's Climent Club is an aggressive finisher who lands 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy and adds 1.96 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside a consistent submission threat averaging 1.1 attempts per 15 minutes. He also shares the same five-foot-seven height as Tsarukyan but works with a noticeably shorter 69-inch reach.
The exchange appears to be the latest chapter in an ongoing back-and-forth between two fighters occupying the top two spots in a stacked lightweight division.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan and Topuria sit first and second in the lightweight rankings, making any escalation between them directly relevant to a title picture
- The reach gap — Tsarukyan holds a three-inch advantage — adds a genuine stylistic subplot if the trash talk ever becomes a contract
- Both fighters are 29 and entering what could be their peak years, raising the stakes of divisional positioning
