Arman Tsarukyan is looking forward to the day he gets to step inside the Octagon with former lightweight world champion Charles Oliveira.
Tsarukyn, who currently sits in the No. 8 spot in the 155-pound rankings, will look to score his 20th career win on Saturday night as he heads to The APEX in Las Vegas for a clash with Joaquim Silva. A win over Silva will keep Tsarukyan moving up the lightweight division ladder in hopes of landing a fight with one of the promotion’s most prolific finishers, Charles Oliveira.
Appearing at the Fight Night media event, Arman Tsurkyan spoke about UFC 289’s co-main event contest between Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. ‘Do Bronx’ scored a highlight-reel-worthy finish in the first round to reassert himself as the division’s top contender, a result that surprised Tsarukyan given what was at stake for Dariush that night.
“I thought Dariush was going to win for sure. I thought he was in good shape. It’s his last chance in his life I think to be a champion, to fight with Islam Makhachev,” Tsarukyan said. “Because if he won, he could fight Islam Makhachev. Now he lost and to go to the top and fight to be a contender, it takes like two years. A year and a half, you know. And he’s not young like me. That’s why I thought he was gonna give all of himself in this fight. He started to look good, but then something happened. He missed a punch and it is what it is.”
Arman Tsarukyan Sees Fighting Charles Oliveira as a Gift
Though he was impressed with Oliveira’s performance, Arman Tsarukyan likes his chances against ‘Do Bronx’ and is chomping at the bit for an opportunity “smash him” en route to the top of the weight class.
“Charles, he’s a good fighter. He has a lot of experience. He’s patient and it showed what level Charles is [at], but for me, Charles is a present. I’m gonna smash him easy because his style for me is the best style.“
Arman Tsarukyan sees Charles Oliveira as a "present"
"I’m going to smash him, easy."#UFCVegas74 | Full story: https://t.co/GVkSzoe68W pic.twitter.com/D4sCG7C85J
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 15, 2023
Tsarukyan is currently 6-2 inside the Octagon with his only losses coming against reigning lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev and another division standout, Mateusz Gamrot. His last appearance came in December where he scored a unanimous decision victory over Damir Ismagulov.
His opponent, Joaquim Silva, is 5-3 under the UFC banner and has lost two of his last three contests. With an upset over Tsarukyan on Saturday night, Silva could immediately find himself catapulted into the division’s top ten.