Arman Tsarukyan is ready for his Islam Makhachev rematch.
UFC 302 is in the rear-view mirror and was capped off by another successful title defense for Lightweight champion, Makhachev. In the main event, the Russian titleholder scored the seventh finish in his last eight fights (five submissions, two knockouts) when he submitted Dustin Poirier with a fifth round d’arce choke (watch highlights) this past weekend (June 1, 2024).
Originally, the headliner spot was offered to the surging Tsarukyan after he solidified himself as the No. 1 Lightweight contender with a split decision win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 last month (April 13, 2024). Unable to make the turnaround in time, which led to Poirier getting the fight, Tsarukyan believes he’d have had no trouble beating the version of the champion who fought against his American Top Team (ATT) teammate.
“It would be very easy fight for me,” Tsarukyan said on The MMA Hour. “I could outwrestle him [in] that fight as well because he got tired. When you’re tired, you can’t do s—t. Even if you have the best skills in the world, if you’re tired, you’re done.”
Makhachev, 32, isn’t thrilled about the idea of a rematch with Tsarukyan after beating him via unanimous decision in April 2019. The champion ideally wants to challenge for Welterweight gold sooner rather than later, but will face Tsarukyan if offered by the promotion.
Another dream of Makhachev’s is to fight in Madison Square Garden at one of UFC’s New York City showcases in November. Aware of the venue’s history, Tsarukyan likes that location and date for their sequel.
As for Poirier’s success in the Makhachev fight before the finishing sequence, Tsarukyan expected as much.
“I wasn’t [surprised],” Tsarukyan said. “I knew [his] heart [is] very good and I told everybody it’s like 60/40. Everybody talk like, ‘Oh, Islam gonna win him, 100 percent. He’s not gonna give him any chance,’ but I knew it’s gonna be tough fight. Dustin, he’s a dog, so I wasn’t — his defensive wrestling was super good and Islam couldn’t choke him. When he got tired in the fifth round, yeah, he got him.
“It wasn’t his best performance,” he continued about Makhachev. “He got tired and he was slow. I feel like Islam doesn’t have very good conditioning or maybe he got sick or whatever. I’m not judging him because of his last fight, I gotta watch all his fights and take him serious. He’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. I’m just gonna prepare like it’s best version of Islam Makhachev. Not underestimate him. Dustin can defend his wrestling, I’m going to defend as well.”