Arman Tsarukyan has indicated that reigning UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria should consider moving up to the welterweight division following his next scheduled fight.
Topuria is set to face Justin Gaethje, the current interim lightweight champion, on June 14th. After this title unification bout, which Topuria anticipates winning by first-round knockout, he intends to defend his belt against top contender Tsarukyan.
Tsarukyan is currently the official backup fighter for the Topuria vs. Gaethje bout. However, he will not be present at the UFC Fight Night 250 weigh-ins in Washington as he is scheduled to compete against Tony Ferguson at RIZIN 10 on July 13th. Nevertheless, Tsarukyan has stated he would step in immediately if either of the main event fighters for the Washington card were forced to withdraw.
Arman Tsarukyan Advises “El Matador” to Move Up to 170 Pounds and Avoid Him
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Arman Tsarukyan expressed his view that if the UFC permits Ilia Topuria to move up to 170 pounds after June 14th, he should readily pursue that option.
Tsarukyan believes Topuria would be better positioned to pursue history by becoming a three-division champion against Islam Makhachev, rather than risking his lightweight title against Tsarukyan. He remarked:
“If the UFC lets him move up, he’s going to move up. It’s better to fight Islam than me. Because it’s a third title, big money, and if he loses to Islam, it’s okay because he’s moving up a weight class and losing to the pound-for-pound king. But if he loses to me at 155 [pounds], he’s going to be gone.”
Arman Tsarukyan also confirmed in a widely shared video clip that his next fight will be a championship bout scheduled for September in Las Vegas. The 29-year-old also mentioned the possibility of a rematch with the newly crowned BMF titleholder, Charles Oliveira.
“My next fight is a title fight, which is probably in September in LA… I may fight him [Charles Oliveira] again.”
