The lightweight division is one of the most if not the most talent stacked division in the UFC. This has been the case for a few years now. Despite the plethora of talent, Khabib Nurmagomedov and now his protege, Islam Makhachev have brushed aside all competition with ease. However, the fight night event in Austin revealed the emergence of a new contender in Arman Tsarukyan, who has his eyes set on Islam Makhachev.
‘The Eagle’ burst onto the scene in 2012 and slowly established himself as one of the best at 155-pounds. Despite the challenge put in front of him, ‘The Eagle’ dominated his opponent at will. He displayed ground control on a level that no one in the UFC had seen before. Therefore, Nurmagomedov is considered one of the greatest grapplers the UFC has ever seen.
In a recent interview prior to his win, Tsarukyan was asked to make a pick on who he would like to train with. The options given were Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He replied saying,
“Khabib. Because, it is very easy to improve striking, but it is hard to achieve Khabib’s level of wrestling and control. For this you need a specialist like Khabib. His ability to control is on a different level. You can train striking in any city…. No one else has Khabib’s level of control.”
In the video, Tsarukyan went on to speak highly of Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team. He said that they are an example of what a good team should look like. Furthermore, he stated that he has learnt a lot just by observing them as well.
With that being said, let’s take a closer look at what is next for Arman Tsarukyan after a jaw-dropping knockout win over Beneil Dariush.
Arman Tsarukyan to get a second shot at Islam Makhachev?
In April 2019, Tsarukyan suffered a unanimous decision loss to Islam Makhachev. However, Tsarukyan has arguably been the toughest test in the UFC so far for Makhachev. ‘Ahalkalakets” is an extremely well rounded fighter with good grappling as well as good striking which makes him a threat for Makhachev.
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After his recent win over Beneil Dariush, Tsarukyan sent out a strong message to Islam Makhachev. In the post fight interview he stated that he was coming for Makhachev and wanted UFC gold wrapped around his waist. It will be interesting to see how this fight plays out if it is made for a second time.
