Arman Tsarukyan has issued a clear warning to Ilia Topuria in the wake of "El Matador" suffering his first professional defeat, advising the former champion not to target Paddy Pimblett for his next bout.
Topuria lost his lightweight title fight to Justin Gaethje in the UFC Freedom 250 headliner on Sunday at the White House in Washington DC, with doctors stopping the contest at the end of Round 4 due to significant damage to both of Topuria's eyes.
Speaking on "The Ariel Helwani Show.", Tsarukyan said, "Paddy is not the best matchup for him (Topuria), after that loss," and later added, "Because Paddy has a good chin, it's difficult to knock him out. Five rounds, it's going to be tough with Paddy. Just give him Michael Chandler. Come back, knock him out. They've got to protect him, you know."
Tsarukyan also believes the Gaethje setback could be a turning point for Topuria. "I think this loss is going to give him a lot of lessons," he said. "Not to be overconfident and to respect your opponent and keep grinding. I think he was more focused on his media stuff more than training camp."
Pimblett is already booked to face Benoit Saint Denis in the UFC 329 co-headliner on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Topuria now sits at 17-1 in MMA and 9-1 in the UFC, while Pimblett holds a 23-4 professional mark and a 7-1 record in the promotion. Tsarukyan, who offered the advice, is 23-3 in MMA and 10-2 in the UFC.
