Arman Tsarukyan has responded to Colby Covington's criticism about taking easy fights, stating he wants to face Covington if he defeats Chris Weidman. Tsarukyan declared he will target Weidman as his next opponent and has no interest in fighting Covington if he loses. He emphasized he does not want to wrestle with losers.
Lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan fired back at Colby Covington on May 29, challenging the former welterweight title challenger to a fight — but only on one condition: that Tsarukyan first goes through Chris Weidman.
Tsarukyan, ranked first in the lightweight division at 23-3-0, made clear he has no interest in facing Covington if "Chaos" cannot secure a win of his own. The 29-year-old Russian, training out of American Top Team, has built one of the most well-rounded profiles in the sport, landing significant strikes at a rate of 3.85 per minute with a 50 percent accuracy mark and adding 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes. Covington had taken aim at Tsarukyan over his recent opponent selection, but the lightweight contender dismissed the criticism sharply, saying he has no desire to wrestle with losers.
Covington, 38, carries a 17-5-0 record and trains out of MMA Masters. The five-foot-eleven Orthodox fighter posts 3.81 significant strikes per minute and averages 3.64 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him one of the more active grapplers in the sport. Despite that pedigree, Tsarukyan made plain that a win is a prerequisite before any conversation continues.
Standing in Tsarukyan's stated path is Chris Weidman, the 42-year-old former middleweight champion from the Serra-Longo Fight Team. Weidman checks in at six-foot-two with a 78-inch reach and holds a 16-8-0 record. He averages 3.27 takedowns per 15 minutes and has shown consistent submission threat throughout his career.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan is the top-ranked lightweight, so any win keeps him firmly in title contention
- A callout of Covington crosses divisional lines, adding an unusual wrinkle to lightweight politics
- Weidman's wrestling pedigree makes him a legitimate stylistic test for Tsarukyan despite the weight class context
- Covington's public criticism has now drawn a direct and conditional response, raising the profile of all three fighters
