Topuria Confident He’d Dominate Arman Tsarukyan

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) isn’t convinced Arman Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) poses a significant threat. While many consider Tsarukyan the most challenging matchup for Topuria, the champion vehemently disagrees, anticipating a title unification bout against Justin Gaethje first. However, he acknowledges Tsarukyan is waiting for his opportunity.

Topuria, known for his undefeated record, pointed to vulnerabilities in Tsarukyan’s past performances. He highlighted Tsarukyan’s losses to Islam Makhachev and Mateusz Gamrot, as well as an early career knockout, suggesting a lack of consistent finishing ability.

Topuria’s Critique of Tsarukyan’s Fighting Style

“He lost to Islam (Makhachev), he lost to (Mateusz) Gamrot, he got knocked out at the beginning of his career, and he doesn’t really have the ability to finish the fights,” Topuria stated during a live stream with Adin Ross on Kick. “He only finishes the fights when his opponent gets tired, and he just goes on the ground and he does ground-and-pound. If he faces someone who really has that preparation and has that cardio, doesn’t get scared when he goes to the ground, he’s going to suffer.”

Topuria boldly claimed he would finish both Tsarukyan and current UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev. He elaborated on why he believes a fight with Tsarukyan would be particularly straightforward.

“Arman, Easy Because He Will Panic”

“Arman, easy because he will panic,” Topuria confidently declared. “With me, he will panic. What is he going to do?”

Topuria emphasized his relentless training regimen and mental fortitude. He explained that he pushes himself to the absolute limit during camp, preparing for the most grueling aspects of a fight – pain, fatigue, and the feeling of being overwhelmed. This preparation, he believes, gives him an unbreakable mental edge.

“When I’m in the training camp, I know how it feels when you feel pain, I know how it feels when you feel tired, when it feels like you can’t do more and you keep doing it. I know about myself where there isn’t a situation where I’m going to give up. So, when I walk inside the octagon, my opponents should know that they’re going to have the baddest motherf*cker in front of them that doesn’t know how to give up. That’s never going to happen so, you’re going to have to kill me.”

This unwavering confidence and mental toughness, according to Topuria, will be Tsarukyan’s undoing. For more on this story, visit MMA Junkie.