Arman Tsarukyan highlights Team Khabib’s key ‘Weaknesses’ ahead of title clash at UFC 311
UFC lightweight challenger Arman Tsarukyan believes Islam Makhachev has a weakness that he could exploit at UFC 311.
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Arman Tsarukyan talks about targetting Islam Makhachev's weakness at UFC 311 (via Imago/Instagram)
Arman Tsarukyan is heading for the biggest fight of his professional career this week in the main event of UFC 311. The challenger will take on Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight championship. Going into the fight, the champion is the clear favorite, but Tsarukyan believes he can pull off an upset.
Islam Makhachev is the current pound-for-pound king with multiple title defenses against some of the best fighters. The Dagestani is extremely well-rounded and has the ability to finish his opponents however he wants. Going against someone like Makhachev is tough, but Tsarukyan plans to exploit some of his weaknesses.
You know, Islam, he’s so smart and he’s so well-rounded. He can strike, he can clinch, he can wrestle, but he has weaknesses as well. His condition is not the best. So when he fights with a guy who wrestles, when it’s going to be difficult to take down someone, you’re going to waste energy.
Arman Tsarukyan via Pound 4 Pound Podcast
Hailing from Dagestan, Makhachev wrestling is impeccable with the combination of judo trips and lethal submission. However, fans have seen him struggle in tough battles like Dustin Poirier and Alexander Volkanovski. Unlike his coach and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is not relentless.
Tsarukyan is a huge fan of Nurmagomedov and has followed his career and believes Makhachev isn’t at that same level. However, the champion is confident about his win and doesn’t think the challenger has anything that will surprise him. Team Khabib is expecting a quick finish from the pound-for-pound ace at UFC 311.
Former UFC champion predicts Arman Tsarukyan vs. Islam Makhachev
Arman Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev fought each other back in 2019 when the Armenian lost via unanimous decision. It was his debut fight where Tsarukyan was able to give Makhachev a tough challenge. Now, the fighter has improved a lot and believes he can become the new champion by defeating Makhachev.
Tsarukyan is currently on a four-fight win streak and has finished some of the best fighters in the division. In his last fight against Charles Oliveira, he showed grit and determination, which will help him drastically against Makhachev. Going into the fight, UFC superstar Aljamain Sterling believes the challenger can take the win at UFC 311.
From a technical standpoint and like in terms of the principle look and feel for striking, I think Islam is just a little below Arman. All respect to Islam but I do feel there’s going to be a passing of the torch on Jan. 18 for the main event.
Aljamain Sterling via The Weekly Scraps
At UFC 311, apart from the Makhachev fight, Team Khabib is also looking forward to Umar Nurmagomedov’s title battle. The ultimate plan for Team Khabib is to take control of two UFC divisions and rule them for the next few years. Both Makhachev and Nurmagomedov are betting favorites, and the anticipation is massive around the card.
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Ameetosh Dash
(865 Articles Published)