Arman Tsarukyan seems to be working with Khazmat Chimaev, polishing his ground game ahead of his reported lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev. That is likely to get the champ and his camp thinking about tweaking their own strategies for the bout.
Tsarukyan and Chimaev are currently filming the Russian version of The Ultimate Fighter, and a clip of them grinding it out has gone viral.
Khamzat Chimaev almost choked out Arman Tsarukyan.
IG hype.fighting▫️ pic.twitter.com/HuQeyjtE5B
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) November 27, 2024
Arman, the #1 contender, already has a formidable ground game. After watching Tsarukyan grapple with Chimaev, Makhachev’s fans are now concerned whether this would prove to be a problem for him.
A fan commented, “Could be bad news for Islam if Arman keeps grappling with khamzat“.
Another fan spoke about how Tsarukyan was able to withstand Chimaev.
“Heavyweight Khamzat can’t choke out Arman, just shows good the kid is“.
Although the fight is yet to be officially announced, it is widely expected that Tsarukyan will be the one to fight Makhachev next. It may take place as early as January 2025.
Islam vs. Arman rumors rage on
Makhachev’s manager Rizvan Magomedov spoke in an interview with Ushatayka about how his team was in negotiations with the UFC for a January 18 date for his next title defense.
“No, the contract has not been signed yet… We were given the date, and we accepted it. We assume it will be Tsarukyan. Khabib will be in Islam’s corner, for sure,” said Magomedov.
Tsarukyan, meanwhile has been trash talking, claiming he will beat the champion. After defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 300, Tsarukyan had addressed Makhachev as a ‘boy’, and warned that he would be seeing him soon.
So, Makhachev and his team will be keen to give a reply to Arman’s repeated taunts inside the octagon. However, the bout is expected to be Makhachev’s toughest battle yet.
The two had previously fought on short notice, back in 2019. While it was a close fight that Makhachev ended up winning by unanimous decision, this was back when both the fighters were taking baby steps in the UFC. They have since then evolved into far more dangerous fighters.
Makhachev has added dirty boxing to his game, and has managed to out strike the likes of Dustin Poirier in his journey to the top. So Tsarukyan, despite visible improvements to his wrestling, and a trail of defeated fighters behind him, might find himself get clocked going for takedowns.
Whoever takes home the belt, the Tsarukyan vs. Makhachev bout will surely be a great way to start the new year for the UFC.
