Arman Tsarukyan mocks Ilia Topuria with crude joke about body hair

Arman Tsarukyan kept his rivalry with Ilia Topuria simmering on April 23 by firing back at the lightweight contender with a crude joke, targeting Topuria's notably smooth legs in a video post and questioning, in explicit terms, what other body hair the Georgian-Spaniard might be lacking.

Tsarukyan, ranked first in the lightweight division at 23 wins and three losses, has been one of the most active verbal combatants outside the cage in recent months. The 29-year-old Russian, who trains out of American Top Team, stands five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach and backs up his confident demeanor with substance inside the octagon — averaging 3.85 significant strikes per minute with a 50 percent striking accuracy and a strong grappling game that produces 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Topuria, the number-two ranked lightweight and the current pound-for-pound top fighter in the sport, carries a 17-1 record and the kind of profile that makes him a natural target for trash talk. Also 29 and representing Spain, "El Matador" shares the same five-foot-seven frame as Tsarukyan but works off a shorter 69-inch reach. He lands 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy and adds a submission threat that averages 1.1 attempts per 15 minutes.

The details of Topuria's original comments, which apparently prompted this response, were not disclosed, but the exchange is clearly part of an extended back-and-forth between the two men.

Why it matters

• Tsarukyan holds the number-one lightweight ranking, Topuria the number-two spot, making any escalation between them significant for the division.
• Both fighters sit at the top of the pound-for-pound conversation, and their war of words raises the profile of a potential future matchup.
• The style matchup would pit Tsarukyan's elite takedown volume against Topuria's sharp striking and submission instincts.