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Arman Tsarukyan Unfazed by Islam Makhachev Injury, Ready to Face Top 5 Lightweights for Interim Belt
Arman Tsarukyan remains confident despite Islam Makhachev's injury, eyeing top 5 lightweights and an interim title shot in the competitive UFC lightweight division.
Arman Tsarukyan is ready to look past Islam Makhachev. The Armenian fighter had one of the most memorable victories at UFC 300. Pitted against former champion Charles Oliveira, Tsarukyan almost lost the match in the initial rounds before coming out victorious via decision. Such a dominant win sealed him a date with the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. However, while the fight was supposed to take place in October, an unfortunate injury for Makhachev complicated the plot.
However, Tsarukyan is not pegged back by the news. Instead, he is ready to move on from Makhachev temporarily and is ready for an interim title clash if the need arises. ‘Ahalkalakets’ also named five of the top athletes in the division who he is willing to fight.
Tsarukyan said, “Of course, it's not about fighting Islam for me; it's about becoming the champion... Any of the top five could fight for the interim title. [Dan] Hooker, [Michael] Chandler, Oliveira, [Justin] Gaethje, or Poirier all them deserve an interim title shot."
In fact, after winning the UFC 300 bout, Tsarukyan was allegedly offered a title fight with Makhachev in June. However, the Armenian fighter declined the offer, stating that he wanted to have a full fight camp before facing the champion.
Thus, Makhachev faced off against Dustin Poirier, who made a valiant attempt to snatch the gold from the Dagestani. Poirier’s lethal striking was ultimately subdued by Makhachev in the fifth round, but it surely left a scar on the champion.
In a recent update, Islam Makhachev mentioned that he has incurred a hand injury from his UFC 302 bout. He also revealed that he might be needing surgery. While this announcement made ripples around the MMA fraternity, Makhachev assured that he will be coming back this year despite the surgery.
But as of now, that promise looks likely to be broken. In a recent update, coach Javier Mendez detailed that Makhachev might be out for the entirety of 2024 and not return until early 2025.
On the flip side, Arman Tsarukyan also had his own complications. While making his entrance during UFC 300, Tsarukyan got into a physical tussle with a fan. Since such an act went against the UFC rules, the Armenian was slapped with a nine-month ban.
This further created confusion as to whether Tsarukyan would face Makhachev in October. As of now, with the champion out of the picture, it remains to be seen whether an interim championship bout is scheduled or whether ‘Ahalkalakets’ will have to wait until 2025 to get his shot at lightweight gold.
ALSO READ: Arman Tsarukyan Reveals Possible Date for UFC Title Fight vs Islam Makhachev
