Merab Dvalishvili has cast doubt on Arman Tsarukyan’s chances against UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, saying he believes the Georgian-Spanish titleholder would finish the contender in a potential matchup.
Tsarukyan was passed over for a title shot when the UFC booked Justin Gaethje against Paddy Pimblett for an interim belt at UFC 324. Gaethje defeated Pimblett and is now slated to face Topuria in a title-unification bout headlining UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 at the White House.
Dvalishvili made clear he holds Tsarukyan in high regard, saying, "I respect Arman Tsarukyan, too. He is a great athlete, a great fighter," but he sees the stylistic matchup as firmly favoring the champion. “But since Ilia is the champion in this weight class, even if Arman fights Ilia, Ilia stylistically beats Arman. You can't take Ilia down. It doesn't even make sense to wrestle with him. Then Arman has to box with Ilia, too, and then Ilia will knock out Arman Tsarukyan."
Topuria enters the Gaethje clash on a knockout streak that includes wins over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, and is regarded as a big favorite to retain his belt. Many observers view Tsarukyan as Topuria’s biggest threat at 155 pounds, but Dvalishvili’s comments underline how strongly some in the sport back the reigning champion’s chances against any challenger.
