Topuria calls out Tsarukyan and Pimblett after title win

Arman Tsarukyan and Paddy Pimblett are the 2 astir apt candidates for Ilia Topuria's adjacent match. Recently, Ilia, who is the recently minted UFC lightweight champion, called retired those 2 aft defeating Charles Oliveira to triumph the championship.

However, betwixt the 2 of them, the 27-year-old Armenian has a overmuch amended accidental for a rubric shot. He is the archetypal connected the database of challengers (if the existent champion Islam Makhachev is excluded) and was expected to combat for the loop astatine the opening of this year. Many saw him arsenic a superior menace to Makhachev, but conscionable a fewer days earlier the match, Arman had to cancel his show owed to backmost problems. Such a determination is not good received by the UFC leaders, truthful helium volition astir apt person to get 1 much triumph earlier helium gets a changeable astatine the title.

So far, this combatant has fought 9 fights successful the UFC and mislaid lone twice. His archetypal decision was against Mahačev successful his debut, portion the 2nd was against Mateusz Gamrot. However, galore experts judge that this combat should person gone successful his favor. He is presently connected a streak of 4 consecutive victories, and is known for his large signifier successful each segments of the fight. He is self-confident, mentally beardown and mentally prepared. It volition surely beryllium a large menace for Ilija, but helium doesn't expect excessively overmuch trouble successful that match.

Ilija's crisp disapproval and provocation

At yesterday's property conference, Ilia bluntly commented connected Tsarukyan's dismissal owed to backmost pain.

"Tsarukyan is the easiest hostile of them all, overmuch easier adjacent than Paddy. I don't adjacent cognize however to picture him. Imagine if you person the accidental to combat for a satellite title, and erstwhile the time of the lucifer comes, you springiness up due to the fact that your backmost hurts. I can't recognize that. I would combat without a hand, I don't care. Mentally, helium is intelligibly not astatine the level helium should beryllium at," said Ilia.

Knowing that Tsarukyan has a precise precocious sentiment of himself, Ilija tries to provoke him further and “get into his head.” However, connected the different hand, helium is alert that Arman is simply a precise unsafe combatant and that the lucifer volition surely beryllium demanding.