Ilia Topuria criticizes Arman Tsarukyan for missing opportunities and suggests the UFC has lost trust in him, while Tsarukyan responds by mocking Topuria’s hiatus for personal reasons.
Ilia Topuria has a theory about why Arman Tsarukyan seems out of favor with the UFC. Tsarukyan, a top lightweight contender, missed a big title shot due to a back injury. After a long wait, he returned to action at UFC Qatar, submitting Dan Hooker in two rounds.
Yet, Tsarukyan remains sidelined from the title picture. With Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett set to fight for an interim belt, the winner is expected to face Topuria, the current champion. Dana White, UFC’s CEO, downplays any issues with Tsarukyan, but Topuria isn’t buying it.
"He knows what happened after UFC 311," Topuria told eldoberdanMMA. "He might’ve needed a change of underwear after that decision. It’s tough to trust someone you heavily promote, only for them to gamble it away."
Topuria points to another incident: Tsarukyan headbutted his opponent at a faceoff. "Not smart," Topuria says. "The UFC invests in him, and he risks it all with one headbutt. Would you keep supporting someone like that?"
Despite his impressive record, Tsarukyan has only fought four times in three years. Topuria sees this as a lack of availability, a critical trait. "Arman is good," Topuria admits. "But he refused to compete when it mattered."
Topuria believes the UFC shares his skepticism about Tsarukyan. "That’s exactly what they’re doing," he says. "They sat down and said, ‘Fck Arman.’ So Arman, from here, go fck yourself."
Tsarukyan didn’t take these comments lightly. He fired back at Topuria, pointing out his current hiatus. "You talk about family issues but have time for interviews," Tsarukyan tweeted. "You’re a joke, ‘El Panocha.’"