Arman Tsarukyan reflected on the immediate aftermath of his first showdown with current UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.
Arman Tsarukyan gave UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev one of his toughest tests as both were up-and-comers in April 2019. Almost exactly six years after their first clash, Tsarukyan will look to dethrone Makhachev at UFC 311 later this month.
Tsarukyan has repeatedly opened up on what went wrong in his unanimous decision loss to Makhachev in their first fight. Ahead of UFC 311, Tsarukyan is teasing a newfound approach to Makhachev’s puzzle as he’s highlighted some of the mistakes he made.
While Tsarukyan expertly trolled Makhachev ahead of UFC 311, bringing in one of the UFC champ’s former nemesises for his camp, there’s a lot of mutual respect between the two sides. After their three-round war in 2019, Makhachev hinted at an expectation of meeting Tsarukyan again later in their careers.
Arman Tsarukyan shares what Islam Makhachev told him after 2019 fight
During a recent sitdown with Red Corner MMA, Tsarukyan reflected on his post-fight conversation with Makhachev.
“Of course I do. He supported me after the fight, he said ‘You’re still young, everything’s ahead of you. So don’t be upset.'” Tsarukyan said. “And I was like ‘I’m not that young’, fell down. Sat down and covered my eyes…
“Yes, I never liked losing, no matter how young I was.”
As Tsarukyan plots potential revenge, he’s added a ‘secret weapon’ to his camp ahead of UFC 311. Tsarukyan’s road to his first career UFC title shot featured recent victories over Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush.
Tsarukyan and Makhachev share a five-year age difference between them ahead of UFC 311. While Makhachev will enter the Octagon as the elder side, Tsarukyan has a similar experience level entering their rematch.
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Arman Tsarukyan met Islam Makhachev in his UFC debut
Tsarukyan’s loss to Makhachev in 2019 was his UFC debut, and at the time just the second defeat of his professional career. He went on a five-fight winning streak following the Makhachev defeat that featured wins over Matt Frevola and rising star Joel Alvarez.
After earning the belt at UFC 280, Makhachev has defended the belt against Alexander Volkanovski (twice), and Dustin Poirier. He’ll enter UFC 311 atop the UFC’s pound-for-pound list, over top names like Jon Jones and Alex Pereira.
Tsarukyan and Makhachev have evolved dramatically ahead of UFC 311. Six years after their post-fight banter, Tsarukyan will look to prove Makhachev’s earlier encouragement right by dethroning the lightweight champion.