Arman Tsarukyan recently shocked the world by destroying the No. 4 ranked lightweight, Beneil Dariush. Tsarukyan knocked Dariush out cold with his elite striking. However, when it came to wrestling, he did not shy away from praising his idol, Khabib Nurmagomedov. During an interview, he went on to praise Khabib for his ground game.
Arman started the conversation by stating the benefits of wrestling a lot. He claimed that it was a very good exercise for the muscles. “You are like a fish in water, just like Khabib in his fights,” said Tsarukyan. Furthermore, he went on to claim that ‘The Eagle’ is at the top when it comes to wrestling skills. “Khabib has no equal on the ground, in wrestling,” said the UFC lightweight prospect.
However, things got interesting when the interviewer asked Tsarukyan if Khabib had a better ground game than the current Lightweight Champion, Islam Makhachev. Arman slapped Islam Makhachev with a harsh reality check during his response. “Control, of course. No one else has Khabib’s level of control,” said Arman Tsarukyan.
Furthermore, when he was asked to choose a training partner out of GSP, Jon Jones, Islam Makhachev, and Khabib, he chose to train with ‘The Eagle’. According to the lightweight prospect, striking is relatively easier to train, but when it comes to wrestling, a specialist like Khabib Nurmagomedov is the best choice. It is good to see a young lightweight showing respect for a legend of his weight class.
Arman Tsarukyan has his sights set on Justin Gaethje’s BMF title
After his latest win at UFC Austin, Arman Tsarukyan made an appearance on the MMA Hour, hosted by Ariel Helwani. During the interview, he talked about a potential fight against the No. 2 ranked lightweight, Justin Gaethje.
Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje is coming off a very impressive head-kick KO victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291. After this win, he went on to call out Islam Makhachev after UFC 294. However, it looks like Makhachev will have to face Charles Oliveira next after he recovers from his injury.
Arman Tsarukyan on Justin Gaethje: “He has to take this fight. Who does he want to fight?” 👀 #TheMMAHour
▶️ https://t.co/7c0nlKV9Yj pic.twitter.com/QrwRoErngJ
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) December 4, 2023
On the other hand, Tsarukyan has shown his interest in challenging Gaethje for the BMF belt. When Ariel asked Arman if Justin Gaethje would take a fight against him, he had a solid response. “He has to take this fight,” said Tsarukyan.
Furthermore, he said Justin Gaethje should fight him for the BMF title instead of waiting for a title match. “Maybe we can fight for the BMF title, why not? He can make money and I can make money,” said Arman. He believes that Justin is a confident guy and should agree to this fight. It will be interesting to see if ‘The Highlight’ takes the risk to fight Arman or if he waits for the title shot.