Ilia Topuria Makes ‘Not Rich’ Accusation Against Arman Tsarukyan and Millionaire Father

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has just levied some massive accusations against his rival lightweight contender, Arman Tsarukyan.

Ilia Topuria Makes ‘Not Rich’ Accusation Against Arman Tsarukyan and Millionaire Father

Ilia Topuria accuses Arman Tsarukyan of faking his wealth [via Cageside Press]

In Short
  • Ilia Topuria accuses Arman Tsarukyan of faking his wealth for social media clout.
  • The feud between Topuria and Tsarukyan escalates with personal insults beyond fighting.
  • Tsarukyan mocks Topuria's recent altercation at a press conference, adding to their rivalry.

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria just levied a massive accusation at lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan. The Georgian-Spanish star has not held anything back in this latest rant against his rival, even bringing up Tsarukyan’s father. Topuria alleges that his fellow UFC lightweight fakes his wealth and is playing some sort of “game.“

‘El Matador’ and ‘Ahalkalakets’ have feuded ever since the former moved up to the lightweight division. Tsarukyan has often accused the champion of ducking him. On the other hand, Topuria has always been dismissive of the Armenian’s claims, calling him an easy fight that he would take if the UFC ever booked it. He even predicted that he would break Tsarukyan’s jaw in the first round.

However, his latest insults at the Armenian had nothing to do with fighting. In a recent interview with Alvaro Colmenero, the 29-year-old was asked about the No. 2 -ranked UFC lightweight. The lightweight champion did not hold back as he ripped into his rival, accusing him and his father of faking their wealth for social media clout.

He has the mind of a little kid, you know? He’s a man-child who is playing a game. I think he is playing the rich guy game, and he’s neither rich nor is his father. I am telling you, he’s just not. I know a huge amount of rich people, none of them, like not a single one of them, is like that. He’s playing a game of buying a car and sending it to Russia to resell it. And I think he’s not even rich, I’m telling you. He’s like a loser. 

Ilia Topuria via KOlmeneroMMA

Of late, Arman Tsarukyan has become quite the sensation on social media. He flexes a lavish lifestyle, appearing on livestreams with content creators like N3on and Adin Ross, buying luxury cars and rare sneakers. While there are no exact figures, reports suggest that Nairi Tsarukyan, Arman’s father, is a business tycoon with several ventures in Russia.

Nonetheless, these scathing comments from the double champion aren’t unprompted. Just recently, Arman Tsarukyan poked fun at the lightweight champion for allegedly botting his Instagram follower count. Before their showdown at UFC 298, Alexander Volkanovski had made similar accusations against ‘El Matador.’

The Armenian lightweight didn’t stop there, though. He also made fun of the lightweight champion’s recent altercation with Josh Hokit at the UFC Freedom 250 presser in Newark.

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Arman Tsarukyan mocked Ilia Topuria for clashing with Josh Hokit

Josh Hokit got under Ilia Topuria’s skin recently during the UFC Freedom 250 press conference. Though he didn’t target ‘El Matador’ directly, Hokit’s comments about Alex Pereira’s mother rubbed Topuria the wrong way. This led to him throwing an object at the undefeated heavyweight, causing security to intervene and eventually escort Hokit out of the venue.

Ilia Topuria, Arman Tsarukyan
Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan embroiled in a war of words [via UFC.com]

This row, which ended the press conference prematurely, became the perfect opportunity for Tsarukyan to mock his rival. During a livestream with Nina Drama. ‘Ahalkalakets’ tore into his rival for his press conference antics. 

Ilia wants to fight with [a] heavyweight? You see, Pereira is like taking his son [to a press conference]. It’s like it’s real, it’s different, the sizes. Topuria, please, don’t talk to heavyweights. 

Arman Tsarukyan via live stream

Like Tsarukyan, UFC CEO Dana White also didn’t appreciate the clash between two fighters who will likely never meet in the octagon. However, Alex Pereira credited his ‘brother’ Ilia Topuria for standing up for him during the press conference. The double champions seemed to have bonded while promoting the White House card, with Topuria even working out at Cruz MMA, Poatan’s trainer’s gym in New York.

Even then, it is fair to assume that Topuria and Tsarukyan’s relationship will not take a similar turn anytime soon. However, both will soon be occupied with other things. Arman Tsarukyan has two RAF wrestling matches in two weeks, first at RAF 09 against Mugzy, then at RAF 10 against UFC legend Tony Ferguson. Meanwhile, El Matador is headlining the aforementioned White House card against Justin Gaethje.

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