Following Ilia Topuria`s knockout victory at UFC 317, UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan offered a relatively dismissive perspective on the performance.
Ilia Topuria officially became a two-division UFC champion by defeating Charles Oliveira via knockout at UFC 317. Just minutes into the opening round, Topuria connected with a right hand that rendered Oliveira unconscious before he hit the canvas.
This stunning finish capped off an exciting night at UFC 317. After his win, Topuria had a heated faceoff with Paddy Pimblett in the T-Mobile Arena when asked about his potential first lightweight title defense.
Arman Tsarukyan, who served as a backup fighter at UFC 317, is also a potential challenger for Topuria`s first title defense. Tsarukyan was reportedly set to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 earlier this year but withdrew just hours before the fight.
Tsarukyan`s Bold Assessment of a Potential Topuria Bout
While Tsarukyan may need another victory to solidify his position for a title opportunity, he is already anticipating a fight against Topuria. Having previously defeated Oliveira at UFC 300 last year, Tsarukyan stated he believes Topuria would be a less challenging opponent than the former champion.
During a recent interview with Daniel Cormier, Tsarukyan contrasted a potential fight with Topuria to his previous bout against Oliveira at UFC 300.
“I’m going to strike him, kick him. I watched his first fight and he was wrestling a little bit, and he got so tired, and he’s never fought a wrestler like me,” Tsarukyan said regarding Topuria. “Bryce Mitchell, he’s the worst fighter at 145, he took him down and held him from a crazy position. And I can tell he’s not high-level, it’s not WWE. I can’t wait to show everybody…”
Tsarukyan continued, “I’ll send Topuria back to the Top 15 pound-for-pound. For me, it’s easier to fight Topuria than Oliveira. You can go take him down a thousand times, because he’s not going to try to choke you or something.”
Tsarukyan also expressed dissatisfaction with Topuria`s post-fight faceoff with Paddy Pimblett instead of himself. Figures like Demetrious Johnson have suggested that Tsarukyan is the most deserving candidate for Topuria`s first defense of the lightweight title.
Former Opponent Predicts Ilia Topuria Would Defeat Prime Conor McGregor
Following Topuria`s capture of a second UFC title, comparisons to Conor McGregor have become frequent. Notably, a former opponent of McGregor speculated that Topuria would win in a hypothetical matchup against a prime version of the Irish star.
McGregor has been inactive since suffering a severe leg injury against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. He was expected to make a return at UFC 303 last year but withdrew due to injury.
Topuria previously called out McGregor after winning the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298, but this challenge did not materialize. McGregor remains out of action, and his return to competition appears uncertain at this time.
