Islam Makhachev Will ‘Fight [Conor] McGregor’ Rather Than Facing Arman Tsarukyan, Predicts Fellow Lightweight

The UFC lightweight division has a new contender after the recent UFC fight night in Austin. Historically, the 155-pound division has been one of the most talent-stacked divisions in the promotion. With his win last weekend, Arman Tsarukyan has given the UFC matchmakers a lot to think about. Islam Makhachev will most likely face Charles Oliveira next for the 155-pound title. The rest of the picture at lightweight remains unclear.

Last weekend, Tsarukyan took on Beneil Dariush in what was supposed to be an extremely competitive fight. However, that was not the case as Tsarukyan knocked out Dariush inside the first round to make a statement. After the win, he called out Islam Makhachev and asked for a title shot.

While Makhachev already has a win over him, fellow lightweight Dan Hooker believes the champion will not be too interested in a rematch. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on MMA Fighting on SBN, he said,

“He ain’t going to fight him. I guarantee he will retire before Arman gets there fore sure. Too risky, there is too much risk. There is too many other easier fights out there. Like you would rather fight, yeah there are easier fights out there…. No one is going to buy an Arman Tsarukyan PPV come on. No one is tuning in for the press conference, no one is buying the PPV for $80. You’d rather watch Islam fight [Conor] McGregor or [Justin] Gaethje or someone like that.”

Tsarukyan and Makhachev faced each other in April 2019. The fight against Makhachev was his first fight in the UFC. Many believe that it is the toughest fight Makhachev has had so far in the UFC. With that being said, let’s take a look at which fight makes sense for Tsarukyan to secure a title shot.

Arman Tsarukyan vs Justin Gaethje the right fight to make?

Given that the next title shot will be awarded to Charles Oliveira, a title eliminator between Tsarukyan and Gaethje makes a lot of sense. The winner of the fight can then take on the winner of Makhachev vs Oliveira.

A fight between Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje will also be an exciting matchup stylistically. Both fighters won their recent fights in an extremely dominant display and are two of the best 155-pound fighters in the world. If the UFC can get this fight booked before the eventual title fight, it will also reduce the time out of the octagon for all fighters involved.