“We must not forget who is behind Islam…” Arman Tsarukyan claims Khabib Nurmagomedov as reason for not fighting for UFC title

Arman Tsarukyan is on a mission to fight Islam Makhachev and become the king of the UFC lightweight division. Recently, the young Armenian fighter made some serious claims about why he has not fought for the title in the UFC. He blamed his delay in the title fight on none other than Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Tsarukyan believed that his path to the title shot could have been faster if he had the backing of a legend like Khabib Nurmagomedov. He believed that his resume was far superior to that of Islam Makhachev. Tsaukyan controversially pointed out that backing mattered in the UFC.

We must not forget who is behind Islam and who is behind me. If Khabib had pushed me, I would have fought for the title after [beating Beneil] Dariush.

Arman Tsarukyan via Sports Express

Arman Tsarukyan also pointed out that he had wins over much better opponents than Makhavchev. He reiterated that Makhachev had fought the likes of Drew Dober and Bobby Green to get the title shot. He compared his own, much better opponents to that of Makhachev’s.

Khabib, of course, is Makhachev’s longtime friend and mentor. The undefeated former champion has been instrumental in guiding Makhachev’s career. Tsarukyan, on the other hand, had to fight his way to the top without that kind of support.

Tsarukyan is the current #1 ranked lightweight contender. He recently defeated the former champion Charles Oliveira in a hard-fought battle. With this win, he has solidified his spot as the next in line to challenge the reigning champion, Islam Makhachev. Tsarukyan, however, turned down the fight against Makhachev in June. He will probably fight for the title after Dustin Poirier.

Arma Tsarukyan refutes claims that Islam Makhachev is ‘Unbeatable’

Arman Tsarukyan is not buying into the “unbeatable” hype surrounding champion Islam Makhachev. In a recent interview, the Armenian fighter boldly claimed that he could defeat the Dagestani champion. This came after his recent victory over Charles Oliveira.

Tsarukyan believed that Makhachev’s aura of invincibility was nothing more than a facade. The 27-year-old fighter went on to critique Makhachev’s performance against Alexander Volkanovski.

I feel like I can beat him [Islam Makhachev]. Everybody thinks like he’s unbeatable, nobody can beat him. But, in the top level, everybody can beat him. In the Islam vs. Volkanovski fight, Islam looked bad.

Arman Tsarukyan via Daniel Cormier YT

It’s no secret that Makhachev’s fighting style mirrors that of his longtime mentor, the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, Tsarukyan believed he had the tools to crack the code and hand Makhachev his first true defeat in the UFC.

It must be noted that Tsarukyan and Islam Makhavhev have fought once. Tsarukyan fought on short notice, and Makhachev came out as the victor in the bout via decision. Some consider this fight as Makhachev’s hardest battle to date along with the first fight against Volkanovski. Only time will tell if the Armenian fighter will avenge his first UFC loss.

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