Lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan made unusual comments about featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, calling him "not a man" based on personal grooming choices. Specifically, Tsarukyan stated that Topuria shaves his buttocks while he does not, implying this makes him more masculine. The comment appears to be part of ongoing social media banter between the two fighters. This follows Tsarukyan's earlier reposting of a fan meme involving Topuria. The nature of the rivalry between the two fighters appears to be escalating through social media exchanges, though no official fight has been announced between them.
Arman Tsarukyan has taken his war of words with Ilia Topuria to a peculiar new level, claiming the featherweight champion is "not a man" based on personal grooming habits. Tsarukyan stated that Topuria shaves his buttocks while he himself does not, framing the difference as a measure of masculinity. The comment is the latest salvo in an escalating social media exchange between the two fighters, and follows Tsarukyan's earlier reposting of a fan-made meme targeting Topuria.
Tsarukyan, nicknamed "Ahalkalakets," enters the conversation as the number-one ranked lightweight in the UFC, carrying a record of 23-3-0. The 29-year-old Russian, who trains out of American Top Team, is an active wrestler averaging 3.26 takedowns per fifteen minutes and lands significant strikes at a rate of 3.85 per minute with fifty percent accuracy.
Topuria, meanwhile, has recently moved up to lightweight and sits at number two in the division, while simultaneously holding the number-one pound-for-pound ranking. The Spanish-based Georgian fighter is 17-1-0 and also 29 years old. Known as "El Matador," he generates 4.81 significant strikes per minute and adds a submission threat, averaging 1.1 submission attempts per fifteen minutes.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan is ranked directly above Topuria at lightweight, making any future matchup between them an immediate title eliminator or title fight conversation.
- The two fighters share identical height at five-foot-seven and orthodox stances, setting up a stylistically intriguing contrast between Tsarukyan's wrestling volume and Topuria's finishing power.
- No official bout between the two has been announced, meaning the current friction remains confined to social media.
