Tension is escalating between UFC lightweight contenders Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan.
Topuria is set to challenge Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight championship in the main event of UFC 317 this Saturday. Arman Tsarukyan is designated as the official backup fighter for this bout. However, Topuria recently expressed his view that this backup role was a poor decision for Tsarukyan.
Speaking about Tsarukyan`s role as backup, Topuria stated, “That’s a bad decision for him. I don’t know why he accepted… If something happens to anyone, even to me… Even with Charles he would struggle a lot. And with me? He has no chances. No chances. First round. First minutes of the fight. What’s he going to do? Go for the takedowns. Bro, come on.” He clearly believes Tsarukyan poses no threat to him and questions his readiness for a potential short-notice fight.
Tsarukyan is currently on a four-fight win streak, which includes a split decision victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. He was originally scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title in January at UFC 311 but withdrew the day before due to issues with his weight cut. Following this, UFC CEO Dana White indicated Tsarukyan would need to secure another win to re-earn a title opportunity, a sentiment Topuria echoes.
Topuria commented further on Tsarukyan`s title prospects, saying, “I wouldn’t give him the chance immediately. He needs to win one more fight. He had the opportunity to fight for the title, he pulled out… so he needs to win his shot again… There’s Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimblett, many guys in the division that also deserve the shot. So they need to fight between each other.”
As expected, Tsarukyan disagreed with Topuria`s assessment and issued his own strong response to the fighter, who shares Georgian heritage.
Tsarukyan warned Topuria, stating, “You better pray nothing happens to Charles, because I’m the worst possible matchup for you in this division. There’s a reason you’re fighting the guy I already beat, and not me, for that belt.”
UFC 317 is scheduled for this Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
