“Even Khabib Cannot”- Ilia Topuria Wanting to Submit Islam Makhachev Called Out by Rival

A rival of Ilia Topuria and former opponent of Islam Makhachev has given 'El Matador' a reality check over his plans to submit the Dagestani fighter.

“Even Khabib Cannot”- Ilia Topuria Wanting to Submit Islam Makhachev Called Out by Rival

Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev (via X)

In Short
  • Ilia Topuria aims to submit UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, a feat no one has achieved.
  • Rival Arman Tsarukyan doubts Topuria's chances, claiming even Khabib Nurmagomedov couldn't submit Makhachev.
  • The rivalry between Topuria and Tsarukyan intensifies with ongoing trash talk and personal insults.

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is still gunning for the Islam Makhachev fight. Not only that, he wants to do what no man before him has done — he wants to submit Makhachev. However, rival lightweight Arman Tsarukyan believes that it is impossible, and not just for Topuria.

‘El Matador’ recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show. During this appearance, he revealed his desire to beat Makhachev at his own game and submit him. This is decidedly not an easy thing to do. Makhachev rarely concedes a takedown in the UFC, and no one has even come close to submitting him.

Moreover, No. 2 lightweight Arman Tsarukyan believes that such a thing is impossible. Like Topuria, Tsarukyan also did an interview with Ariel Helwani recently. In it, he expressed his belief that Topuria does not stand a chance at submitting Makhachev.

Submit Islam? Knock out Islam he has way more chance than submit Islam. I think Khabib cannot even submit Islam.

Arman Tsarukyan on Ilia Topuria submitting Islam Makhachev

Saying the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov cannot submit someone is quite a tall claim. After all, he finished every one of his title defenses with a submission. He also ended his career by winning Submission of the Year for his inverted triangle choke against Justin Gaethje. However, when the man in question is Islam Makhachev, that assessment is probably fair.

Moreover, Tsarukyan gave Makhachev a run for his money in the grappling exchanges during their bout. This lends much more credence to his claim, as it is more informed than the average MMA fan or analyst. Ultimately, Arman Tsarukyan wasn’t attempting to disparage the skills of ‘The Eagle’. All he was trying to do was highlight how incredible Makhachev’s grappling truly is.

However, Tsarukyan has shown that he’s never had any qualms about disparaging and insulting UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. The Armenian got flagrant in his retaliation against the Spaniard’s recent comments about him.

Arman Tsarukyan rips into Ilia Topuria with brazen trash talk

After 9 months of trying on Ariel Helwani’s part, Ilia Topuria finally returned to The Ariel Helwani Show. In his return, Topuria made sure to throw shots at Tsarukyan. The Spaniard said he was surprised by how “stupid” the Armenian was and even called him a kid.

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

Now, Tsarukyan has responded to these insults during his own appearance on Helwani’s show. The Armenian lightweight did not hold back in the slightest with his somewhat unusual reply.

He said he slapped me, but that never happened. He lies… I’m not a gangster, I’m the man, but he’s not. He shaves his [expletive]. He shaves his arms and legs. At least I’m a man. I don’t do that. He has no hair on his legs. You think he’s going to have a hair on his ass? He should go to Georgia instead of Miami, he’s had bad experiences in Miami.

Arman Tsarukyan responds to Ilia Topuria

It’s safe to say no one expected Arman Tsarukyan to respond in this manner. However, the No. 2 ranked lightweight has developed a penchant for unusual trash talk of late. It was not very long ago that he mockingly suggested to Justin Gaethje that he should get injured and pull out of his fight against Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250.

That said, with shots being fired back and forth between these two lightweights, the only way to resolve this rivalry is a fight. Even Ariel Helwani expressed this sentiment, saying these two “have” to fight at this point. However, Tsarukyan himself believes Topuria would rather move up in weight than face him.

With all of the trash talk and insults through social media posts, this rivalry has escalated quite a bit. Furthermore, these two are the two most talented lightweights currently in the UFC. So, all in all, it would be a shame if this fight never materializes.

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