Arman Tsarukyan plans on 'outsmarting' Islam Makhachev to claim UFC title as he reveals the mistakes he made when they first fought
10/17/2024 03:46 PM
With UFC lightweight king Islam Makhachev back on the road to recovery following a hand injury, the promotion is expected to book his next title fight against Arman Tsarukyan for January 2025.
The talented 28-year-old Armenian is already 1-0 down to the dominant UFC champion but will get the chance to equal the score when they rematch with lightweight gold on the line in early 2025.
Arman Tsarukyan breaks down UFC title fight against Islam Makhachev
If you find yourself with a spare 20 minutes at some point this week, we'd highly recommend watching the stunning new documentary on Arman Tsarukyan, produced by Red Corner MMA.
Throughout the course of the documentary, which is filmed almost like a villain's origin story, Tsarukyan speaks candidly about both the challenges presented by dominant lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and what he needs to do to wrestle away the UFC title.
'How do you beat the No. 1 pound-for-pound best fighter in the world,' the documentarian asks, as we see Armenian wrestler training in the mountains of Kislovodsk, a city that sits just a few hundred kilometers away from Makhachev's hometown of Makhachkala.
"Be better everywhere. Be prepared for five hard rounds. With a good gas tank, good wrestling defense, good boxing and good taekwondo… If I manage to fine-tune everything in my game and not let him do what he likes to do, outsmart him in some [certain] aspects; then I can beat him.
"He's just a man," stated the 22-3 'Ahalkalakets', claiming that part of the reason why very few athletes have been able to find success against Makhachev is that by the time the cage door locks behind them, they're already in their own heads.
"That's why some champions dominate [because] their opponents lack self-confidence. Like 'What is Islam going to do?' I'm not thinking about what he's going to do. I'm focused on what I'm going to do [and] how I am going to attack.
"Islam is good in all aspects [of MMA], but it's not like there is an aspect where you can't outsmart him… It's possible to outplay him at boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and on the ground. You just need to be ready for anything."
Tsarukyan vs Makhachev is expected to be booked for January 2025 and will be the second time that the two have fought under the UFC banner.
Arman Tsarukyan recalls what went wrong in his UFC debut vs Islam Makhachev
Out of all the approximately 900 fighters signed to the UFC roster, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who had a tougher promotional debut than Arman Tsarukyan, who faced Makhachev back in 2019.
Recollecting how that fight went, Tsarukyan would first acknowledge that as he entered the Yubileyny Sports Palace for his first of many bouts in the organization, he already felt like he was at a major disadvantage.
"When I had my UFC debut, nobody knew me, but Islam [already] had Abdulmanap [Nurmagomedov] and Javier [Mendez] in his corner – two of the most famous and greatest coaches in the world… So, I walked out for that fight willing to show them that I came here to win."
"Frankly speaking, the plan was to mix up the striking and wrestling, defend his takedowns and impose our offensive wrestling, work on the feet and not be afraid of his [own] wrestling… We were confident that I would be able to take him down and work with him on the ground."
However, despite getting off to a fantastic start, Tsarukyan would let the fight slip away from him in the second and third rounds as he failed to listen to the advice of his corner.
"But ahead of the second or third round, the coach told me to stop wrestling and just try to outstrike him and defend takedowns… But I didn't listen, and I kept trying to take him down because I managed to do that in the first, I thought I could do it again."
Since that first meeting with Makhachev, Tsarukyan has gone 9-1 in the UFC with impressive wins over the likes of Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, and Matt Frevola… Now, there's only one thing that's eluding him, undisputed gold.
"If I am destined to become the champion, it'll happen next year. What's mine won't evade me – so far, I've achieved everything that I've strived for in life and I'm confident that one day, I'll become the champion too… It's just a matter of time."
