Arman Tsarukyan Asks Ilia Topuria to Step Aside to Face Justin Gaethje and Promises Future Title Shot

Arman Tsarukyan makes an offer to Ilia Topuria to step aside so that he can face lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje.

Arman Tsarukyan Asks Ilia Topuria to Step Aside to Face Justin Gaethje and Promises Future Title Shot

Arman Tsarukyan wants Justin Gaethje next (Image via UFC X Account)

UFC 331 co-main event shocked the fans as Arman Tsarukyan knocked Mauricio Ruffy out cold with two brutal elbow strikes. With that performance, he is more than deserving of the next title shot. However, one man stands in his way at the moment – Ilia Topuria.

UFC commentator, Jon Anik, revealed that the promotion had internal discussions about a rematch between Topuria and Justin Gaethje. The popularity and fighting style of Topuria is hard to ignore, whereas Tsarukyan’s controversial nature remains off-putting for the UFC brass.

After making a statement performance at UFC 331, Tsarukyan turned his attention to the champion. Knowing that the promotion wants to book Gaethje vs Topuria 2, Tsarukyan came up with a solution that is favorable to ‘El Matador.’

Let Ilia see an ophthalmologist and take some time to fully recover—maybe another four or five months. Once I become champion, we’ll talk. I’d be happy to fight him.

Arman Tsarukyan told Sport 24

Once upon a time, Tsarukyan and Topuria had a good relationship with each other. However, it turned sour once the Georgian-Spanish fighter entered the UFC lightweight division.

Since then, the duo takes shot at each other every chance they get. The Armenian fighter trolled Topuria when he lost the title to Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.

Meanwhile, Topuria hasn’t held back either. ‘El Matador’ accused Tsarukyan and his father of not actually being rich. Moreover, he also trolled the Armenian star over his social media antics.

Regardless of all that, Tsarukyan wants the title shot more than anything to realize his dream of becoming a UFC champion.

To that end, he is willing to offer Topuria a future title shot as long as the Georgian-Spanish fighter lets him fight Gaethje next. It remains to be seen what the UFC decides to do in the coming weeks.

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Arman Tsarukyan Throws Shade at Ilia Topuria for Botting Followers

Arman Tsarukyan says Justin Gaethje is scared of him

Justin Gaethje will not defend the undisputed lightweight title this year due to needing time to recover from injuries. The lightweight champion will only return next year.

Arman Tsarukyan thinks Justin Gaethje does not want to face him
Arman Tsarukyan thinks Justin Gaethje does not want to face him (Image via UFC X Account/MMA Mania)

After UFC 331, Tsarukyan turned his attention to Gaethje. ‘The Batman’ theorized that Gaethje never spoke about him. To that end, Tsarukyan thinks the champion is scared to fight him.

Justin never said my name. He’s scared. He wanted Ruffy to knock me out. He’s trying to avoid me and call out Ilia Topuria, or say something like, ‘I want $15 million to fight Arman,’ or retire.

Arman Tsarukyan via UFC 331 post-fight press conference

Gaethje recently brought up Tsarukyan’s UFC 311 pullout to criticize the Armenian contender’s conduct. ‘The Highlight’ has options at the moment in Topuria and Tsarukyan.

With Tsarukyan’s growing popularity, it remains to be seen if the UFC give him the next title shot.

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Arman Tsarukyan explains why wrestling alone can’t win a fight

‘The Batman’ securing a standing elbow knockout win at UFC 331 was something no one even thought of. Ruffy never saw the elbow coming and was knocked unconscious inside the octagon.

Arman Tsarukyan
Arman Tsarukyan (via MMA Mania)

After the bout, the Armenian contender spoke with UFC News X Account to detail why he couldn’t win a fight with just wrestling.

With only wrestling, you can’t win a fight. You gotta mix it up. You gotta wrestle, shoot for the takedown, if he defends, you gotta elbow him. If he defends, you wrestle. Then you put your striking in. You gotta combine everything, and you’re gonna be a well-rounded fighter. This fight was pressure because every year I’m proving I’m the number one contender. Instead of that, I could fight for the title once.

Arman Tsarukyan via UFC News

Tsarukyan slowly becoming a well-rounded fighter with knockout ability is definitely putting the lightweight division on notice. He has all the skillset to be the champion. It remains to be seen if the promotion rewards him with a title shot next.

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