UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria unloaded on Arman Tsarukyan while discussing a potential future clash, making it clear he’s more than willing to face the contender if circumstances line up.
Topuria is currently preparing for a title unification bout against Justin Gaethje at the White House as part of UFC Freedom 250 in Washington, with Tsarukyan described as the next contender in line. The UFC has hesitated to give Tsarukyan another title opportunity due to his actions outside the cage, but Topuria said he would step in against him if Gaethje were to withdraw.
"If they call me tomorrow and tell me Justin is injured, I will fight Arman, no problem," Topuria said, before turning his attention directly to Tsarukyan. "I'm really impressed with how dumb he is," he added, later continuing, "He's a retard. I don't know. He looks like a kid. Like his mentality. He's dumb as f*ck. Everything that I saw about him on the internet, it's embarassing. A little bit. ... F*ck Arman. Who cares about him?"
Topuria also criticized what he sees as Tsarukyan’s online persona and lifestyle, saying, "You know how they all play. They all gangsters, and when we cross the paths, they are like, 'Oh, how are you? You all good?' ... Bro, I'm a professional athlete, I'm not a street fighter. I'm not a gangster." He later declared, "He's not on my level," and predicted, "If we cross paths, I'm going to break his jaw in the first round."
Topuria holds a 17-0 professional record (9-0 UFC), while Tsarukyan sits at 23-3 (10-2 UFC) after multiple heated exchanges between the two on social media.
