Arman Tsarukyan made a provocative comment about Ilia Topuria, stating he does not consider Topuria a real man because Topuria allegedly shaves his buttocks while Tsarukyan does not. The remark is clearly tongue-in-cheek and part of ongoing trash talk or banter between the two fighters. Tsarukyan's comment was shared on social media and framed as a humorous jab. No serious context or backstory is provided, suggesting this is simply part of the fighters' online sparring. The tone is playful rather than malicious.
Arman Tsarukyan has taken the pre-fight banter with Ilia Topuria to an unusual place, publicly questioning Topuria's credentials as a man based on an alleged difference in grooming habits. Tsarukyan claimed on social media that Topuria shaves his buttocks, while he himself does not — and declared that distinction reason enough to withhold his respect. The remark was widely framed as a humorous jab rather than any genuine grievance.
Tsarukyan, nicknamed "Ahalkalakets," carries a 23-3-0 record and currently sits as the number-one ranked lightweight contender. The 29-year-old Russian trains out of American Top Team and brings a physically demanding game built around takedowns, averaging 3.26 per fifteen minutes with a striking accuracy of 50 percent. At five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach, he holds a meaningful reach advantage over most opponents in the division.
On the receiving end of the jab is Ilia Topuria, known as "El Matador," who holds a 17-1-0 record and ranks second in the lightweight division while sitting at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings. Also 29, the Spain-based Georgian trains with Climent Club and has built his reputation on sharp, high-volume striking — landing 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy — supplemented by a credible grappling threat that includes 1.1 submission attempts per fifteen minutes.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan and Topuria are the two highest-ranked lightweights not currently holding the belt, making any friction between them relevant to the division's title picture.
- Both men are 29, physically similar in height at five-foot-seven, and stylistically dangerous in different ways, making a potential matchup genuinely compelling on paper.
- The social media exchange, however lighthearted, keeps both names in the conversation as the lightweight division continues to take shape.
