Arman Tsarukyan thinks Ilia Topuria would be a stellar addition to the UFC lightweight division.
Ahead of Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) challenging Islam Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) for the 155-pound title in the UFC 311 headliner on Jan. 18 in Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+), reigning featherweight champ Topuria has teased a change in division.
Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) changing weight classes seems like it could be an inevitability in his career, but the questions persist about whether it will happen in the short term or the long term.
With Tsarukyan potentially on the cusp of claiming the title at lightweight, he thinks Topuria, whom he shares Georgian roots with, would make what’s historically been one of the most decorated weight classes in MMA history even better.
“He should move to 155 because he has a big name,” Tsarukyan told MMA Junkie on Friday. “As much as we have big names in our division, it’s better for us. We’re going to make more money, and our weight class is going to be like famous. It’s still famous – 155 is one of the best, in my opinion, has one of the best fighters because of Conor (McGregor), Khabib (Nurmagomedov), Islam, (Dustin) Poirier, (Justin) Gaethje – there’s so many big names. If Ilia move to 155, it’s going to be good for us.”
Whether a matchup with Topuria could materialize in the future remains to be seen, but for now, Tsarukyan is focused on the task at hand.
He has Makhachev, who is No. 1 pound-for-pound in the UFC’s official rankings, in front of him, and it’s a rematch of the first loss of Tsarukyan’s career. He suffered a unanimous decision defeat in his short-notice octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 149 in April 2019, and Tsarukyan is keep to show his growth by capturing the belt.
“Right now we are the best lightweights, I am No. 1 and he is the champion,” Tsarukyan said. “I am so well-rounded and I know how to wrestle, grapple and he knows, as well. It’s going to be so interesting fight. If I was a fan, I would like to watch my fight.”
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