Arman Tsarukyan recently shared his perspective on Ilia Topuria`s impressive performance at UFC 317, where Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira in the first round to claim the lightweight championship. Tsarukyan, who watched the fight cageside, admitted he was taken aback by the swiftness of the finish.
“I was impressed because it happened in the first round,” Tsarukyan commented in a YouTube interview with Daniel Cormier. He acknowledged Topuria possesses some of the best boxing in the division currently, but the nature of the knockout was still surprising. “When he knocked him out like that, I was surprised. He just fold straight. It was a good knockout.”
Interestingly, Tsarukyan revealed he was rooting for Topuria to win. His reasoning was strategic: he views Topuria as a more favorable opponent for his wrestling-heavy style compared to Oliveira. “For my style, it’s easier to fight Topuria than Oliveira,” he explained. “Because I like to take down people. When you take down Charles Oliveira, he can still choke you or do submissions. Topuria is going to try to get up… there’s no problems on the ground. He’s not going to try to choke you or something.”
While impressed by Topuria`s fighting, Tsarukyan was less pleased with the immediate aftermath. Following his victory speech, Topuria called out Paddy Pimblett, and commentator Joe Rogan invited Pimblett into the octagon for an impromptu face-off. UFC CEO Dana White later stated this should not have happened, and Tsarukyan fully agreed.
Tsarukyan called the incident “a Joe Rogan mistake,” stating Rogan should not have invited Pimblett into the cage. His initial reaction was one of frustration. “For 20, 30 minutes I was, of course, upset, because I said, ‘This is not sport, this is WWE. They can do whatever they want to do,’” he recalled, feeling his own strong resume against top fighters was being overlooked.
However, hearing White`s comments offered some reassurance that Pimblett might not leapfrog him for the title shot. Tsarukyan firmly believes he is the rightful number one contender and most deserving fighter for the next opportunity against Topuria. “They must put me on the title because I’m No. 1 contender, most deserving fighter right now. After me, they can fight. But next it’s me, for sure,” he asserted.
Looking ahead to a potential clash, Tsarukyan believes his wrestling poses a unique challenge for Topuria. He argued that Topuria has not yet faced a wrestler of his caliber, specifically one with a strong freestyle background. Tsarukyan pointed to Topuria`s fight against Bryce Mitchell, a less highly-ranked fighter, as evidence, noting Mitchell`s ability to secure takedowns and suggesting Topuria resorting to pulling guard indicated a less sophisticated ground game compared to top-tier fighters.
