logo
Arman Tsarukyan: UFC champ Ilia Topuria taking 'easy money'

Arman Tsarukyan: UFC champ Ilia Topuria taking 'easy money'

New York Post3 days ago
Only one man deserves to challenge Ilia Topuria for the UFC lightweight championship he just earned on Saturday, in the eyes of that man: Arman Tsarukyan.
'Right now, it's necessary to fight for the title,' Tsarukyan told The Post on Monday via video call from Thailand. 'I'm contender No. 1, and I beat everybody in my division.'
There's little room for argument with that logic, as Tsarukyan's last fight was a victory over Charles Oliveira — the man Topuria just knocked out at UFC 317 in Las Vegas to become a career two-division champion.
3 Arman Tsarukyan poses on the scale during the UFC 317 official weigh-in, as the lightweight championship fight's backup option, on June 27 in Las Vegas.
Zuffa LLC
What's kept the prospect of a title shot out of reach is the fact that the last time he was to fight for gold, Tsarukyan was pulled from the fight on the day of weigh-ins for his scheduled UFC 311 clash with then-champ Islam Makhachev.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

UFC exec Marc Ratner reveals Spain event target for 'real star' Ilia Topuria
UFC exec Marc Ratner reveals Spain event target for 'real star' Ilia Topuria

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

UFC exec Marc Ratner reveals Spain event target for 'real star' Ilia Topuria

The UFC has yet to break ground in Spain with a live event, but as Ilia Topuria continues to evolve into one of MMA's top stars, the efforts to enter the country continue. Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has long called for the octagon to come to Spain since he captured his first UFC title against Alexander Volkanovski in February 2024. He's followed that up with a title defense against Max Holloway then moved up to the lightweight division, where he claimed the vacant belt against Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. With much discussion from fans and pundits about who is going to be the next breakthrough fighter for the UFC, it seems Topuria has stepped into that void, and UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner thinks the traction is legit. "Two or three years ago you never heard of Topuria, nobody knew much about him," Ratner told MMA Junkie Radio at UFC X Radio Row in June. "Now he's a real star." There are a plethora of potential hold-ups to UFC hosting an event in Spain, from the start time of a pay-per-view to a proper venue to a potentially significant site fee requirement. Ratner, who has been an instrumental figure in UFC's entry into new markets both domestically and internationally, is confident Spain will be confirmed potentially before the end of 2026. "That's the goal to go to Spain in the next year or so," Ratner said. "In an arena. I don't know if they have the right arenas there yet."

Conor McGregor offers to fight at potential UFC White House event while Jon Jones shows interest
Conor McGregor offers to fight at potential UFC White House event while Jon Jones shows interest

New York Post

timean hour ago

  • New York Post

Conor McGregor offers to fight at potential UFC White House event while Jon Jones shows interest

President Donald Trump's idea of hosting a UFC event at the White House next Fourth of July already has some volunteers for the potential main event. Trump tossed out the idea Thursday of having an MMA card at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue next Independence Day to ring in the country's 250th birthday, and two of the UFC's biggest stars made it known they are interested in fighting that day. 4 President Donald Trump prepares to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) with UFC CEO Dana White and Elon Musk at the Kaseya Center on April 12, 2025. Getty Images Conor McGregor, who is a supporter of the president, posted to X on Friday that he would be down to enter the octagon that day. 'Happy 4th of July, USA,' McGregor wrote. 'Excited with President Trump announcing a UFC fight event at the White House. I would be honoured! Count me in!' McGregor hasn't fought since he fractured his leg during his fight against Dustin Poirier in 2021 and had to pull out of a much-anticipated bout with Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024 after breaking his toe during training. The multi-time UFC champion visited Trump at the White House in May. 4 Conor McGregor prepares to fight Dustin Poirier in a UFC 264 lightweight mixed martial arts bout July 10, 2021. AP Chandler appears open to joining him there next year. He posted an AI-generated image of him and McGregor doing a faceoff in suits on the White House lawn with a faded-out Trump in the background giving a thumbs up. 4 Michael Chandler appears open to fighting Conor McGregor at the White House next July. Michael Chandler/Instagram 4 Michael Chandler fights Paddy Pimblett of England in a lightweight fight during UFC 314 on April 12, 2025. Getty Images 'Anybody fancy a good old-fashion, passionate, red, white and blue ass whoppin on the lawn of the White House?' Chandler captioned the photo. If that fight doesn't work out, UFC president Dana White might be able to get Jon Jones to un-retire for the event. Jones, who recently said he had called it quits from MMA and relinquished the UFC heavyweight championship, did a stunning about-face Friday after learning about Trump's proposal. 'Fighting at the White House?' Jones wrote on X Friday with an eyes emoji. He posted in a second tweet: 'Just re-entered the testing pool, that lasted for about two weeks. Figured we'd keep everyone's options open.' Trump, who has attended a number of UFC events, is close with White, so anything seems possible.

Josh Emmett on what makes Ilia Topuria so good – even though he's been hit harder
Josh Emmett on what makes Ilia Topuria so good – even though he's been hit harder

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Josh Emmett on what makes Ilia Topuria so good – even though he's been hit harder

Josh Emmett is one of two fighters to go the distance with Ilia Topuria. Emmett (19-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) was able to withstand Topuria's striking barrage for 25 minutes en route to a unanimous decision loss in their June 2023 headliner. Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) is coming off three-straight knockouts over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and most recently Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title at UFC 317. The former interim featherweight title challenger says that despite's Topuria's proven knockout power, he isn't the hardest hitter he's ever fought. "He's great," Emmett told MMA Junkie of Topuria. "I did expect him to do great things just because he's so technically sound. Also, when we fought, people were asking me how hard does he hit – and yeah, of course he hits hard, but when we were fighting, I feel like I've been hit harder by people that I've fought. The thing with Ilia is his footwork is good, he's always in a really good position, he's fast, and he's very precise and accurate. So, he's not loading up 100 percent. He's landing the accuracy and the precision with the speed." So who hit harder? "On the regional scene when I fought Christos Giagos at lightweight, he hit really hard," Emmett responded. "Dan Ige, he can crack. He hits hard, too. So, from just a pure, getting hit with power where you're like, 'Damn, that was a hard punch,' I'd say Dan Ige."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store