Ilia Topuria has shifted his stance on Arman Tsarukyan, now openly embracing a potential showdown with the lightweight contender after previously saying he would rather give up his belt than defend it against him.
Topuria, who wants to fight only for the title when he competes in the UFC cage, is now talking up the matchup while Tsarukyan is slated to serve as backup for the Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje White House fight. The article states that Topuria vs. Tsarukyan is a fight that should happen by the end of 2026.
"The fight with Arman is going to be a good fight," Topuria said, before launching into a fiery assessment of his potential rival. He added, "It’s like, bro, you never ever in your entire life faced someone like me. I’m going to embarrass you in front of everyone."
Topuria continued, "With him, he thinks that he’s tough, he thinks that his wrestling is I don’t know what. He feels that he’s an Olympic champion. Anyway, if he’s the best in the world in wrestling, when it comes to the Octagon, bro? I’m the king. In there, I’m the king. I do with you whatever I want to f--king do. And I told him like I’m going to break his jaw in the first round."
At the time of his earlier comments, Tsarukyan was seen as a very tough opponent with relatively low popularity, but his profile has risen over the past several months, matching Topuria’s own surge in public visibility on social media and at events.
