Over the last decade or so, the UFC has seen a massive growth in popularity. The promotion has been able to unlock certain new regions thanks to superstars originating from the said region. The UFC has had Russian fighters prior to Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, none of them achieved the levels of success that ‘The Eagle’ did. The success and domination displayed by Nurmagomedov inspired a whole new generation to follow his footsteps and replicate his success in the UFC.
The number of fighters emerging from Russia and its surrounding countries over the past five years or so in the UFC has been astronomical. One such fighter happens to be top lightweight Arman Tsarukyan. ‘Ahalkalakets’ is a top talent in his division and has won four of his last five.
In a clip that is now circulating on Instagram, Tsarukyan went on to describe how he got into the sport by watching Conor McGregor. He then went on to share how it was ‘The Eagle’ who actually inspired him to get into the sport. He said,
“That would be Khabib Nurmagomedov. I learned about the UFC because of him. No, I learned about the UFC because my brother he was a Conor fan. He was saying, ‘there is this guy, he has this style’ so I started watching the UFC. Khabib won two fights there at the time. I watched clips of his fight and wanted to become a fighter. During my time he was the role model. He was the UFC fighter out of Russia. I was around 17 then.”
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Let’s take a closer look at what is next for Arman Tsarukyan in the UFC
What is next for fighter inspired by Khabib Nurmagomedov?
‘Ahalkalakets’ is set to take on top lightweight Beneil Dariush on December 3 which is just a few days away. The winner will put themselves in prime position for the number one contender spot.
In a recent interview, Beneil Dariush shared his thoughts on Tsarukyan. He went on to add that he was recently offered a fight against Dustin Poirier. However, he felt that as a challenge Tsarukyan was a tougher test than Poirier.
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He went on to add that Tsarukyan had better grappling, is younger, more hungrier and much more. ‘Ahalkalakets’ is currently on a two-fight win streak with wins over Joaquim Silva and Damir Ismagulov. He is currently ranked eighth in the UFC’s lightweight rankings and a win will surely catapult him into the top five. However, if Tsarukyan wants to achieve his ultimate goal in the sport, he will have to dethrone his idol’s protege.
