Tag: arman tsarukyan

Michael Chandler: Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan Won’t Be ‘Close’

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler has a clear view on how his division’s expected next title fight will play out. Chandler is currently gearing up for his long-awaited return to action at Madison Square Garden next month. Two years on from a loss to Dustin Poirier at the venue, “Iron” will return to New York […]

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UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler has a clear view on how his division’s expected next title fight will play out.

Chandler is currently gearing up for his long-awaited return to action at Madison Square Garden next month. Two years on from a loss to Dustin Poirier at the venue, “Iron” will return to New York City to run it back with Charles Oliveira.

Should he achieve redemption for his 2021 defeat to “Do Bronx,” Chandler’s eyes will seemingly turn to the next assignment for champion Islam Makhachev, who is expected to put his 155-pound gold on the line in a rematch with Arman Tsarukyan.

During an appearance on Uncrowned‘s The Ariel Helwani Show this week, Chandler looked ahead to that contest and provided a surprisingly one-sided prediction.

The former three-time Bellator champion acknowledged that Tsarukyan gave Makhachev a run for their money when they shared the cage in Moscow five years ago. But when it comes to their high-stakes second dance, Chandler doesn’t think the Russian-Armenian will be competitive.

“I fancy Islam (in that fight),” Chandler said. “I’ll be sitting there cageside seeing who my next opponent is. I think Islam is just — he has evolved a lot over the last couple of fights. He’s going to get the takedown. If he does get the takedown, I think he can get the submission. And obviously, he showed against Poirier that he’s something to be reckoned with on the feet these days.

“So I think Islam gets the job done, and I don’t think it’s that close,” Chandler continued. “I’m not necessarily saying he dominates Arman, but I do think he takes this one pretty handily. … I think Islam has come a long way. … I don’t think it will be as close as the last one was.”

While Chandler would prefer to be the one who unseats Makhachev in 2025, should Tsarukyan achieve the feat instead, ready-made animosity certainly exists to set up a future clash.

“Iron” and “Akhalkalakets” have long gone back and forth on social media, with Tsarukyan most recently mocking the #6-ranked contender following his decision to finally move on from the long-delayed Conor McGregor fight.

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Did Dustin Poirier Retire? Status Of Veteran UFC Fighter

Dustin Poirier has become one of the biggest UFC stars ever, despite never becoming an undisputed champion in the promotion. Fans have always appreciated his aggressive fighting style, endurance, and consistency. Throughout 39 pro fights, Poirier has interestingly never lost two bouts consecutively. Since his last loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, “The Diamond” […]

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Dustin Poirier has become one of the biggest UFC stars ever, despite never becoming an undisputed champion in the promotion. Fans have always appreciated his aggressive fighting style, endurance, and consistency.

Throughout 39 pro fights, Poirier has interestingly never lost two bouts consecutively. Since his last loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, “The Diamond” has been considering retirement instead of bouncing back again.

Here’s whether Poirier has officially retired and the conditions he’s laid down for returning to the Octagon…

Is Dustin Poirier Retired From The UFC?

No, Poirier is yet to confirm his retirement from the UFC. He recently appeared on the official MMA Junkie YouTube channel and discussed his latest vacation with friends and family.

The former interim UFC lightweight champion needs more time to confirm if he will never fight for the UFC again. He also aims to get back to training and evaluate his performance and conditioning.

When asked whether spending time with loved ones helped him decide about his career, here’s what “The Diamond” said:

“We’ll clean it up. Go 30 days, August, and just make a decision after that, you know. Get in shape, see how you feel. So, we’ll see man, I don’t know.
I need to make a solid decision so I can get out of the limbo, you know, because I’m still kind of like fighting myself every day not sure what I’m doing.”

Poirier also revealed that his body has been recovering well after the Makhachev fight. He needs nose surgery that can be delayed if he wants, but his knees and ribs feel better. So, his priority is to get back to training.

Dustin Poirier Admits Interest In Fighting For The Interim UFC Lightweight Championship

Poirier has agreed to fight Arman Tsarukyan for the interim UFC lightweight championship if Makhachev cannot compete in October due to injury. Considering that the division has no other solid contenders, the fight could be more realistic than it seems.

An interim belt win would ensure Poirier gets another shot at the UFC lightweight title. This explains why he’s not equally interested in other popular opponents like Charles Oliveira, Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, and Alexander Volkanovski.

“Yeah, I wonder what they’re going to do with that, you know. Who’s? Arman’s gonna continue to like wait for Islam. I don’t know when Islam’s going to be back but I saw a thing he said is, he might have to have surgery so we’ll see man.”

Overall, fans can look forward to learning more concrete details about Poirier’s retirement or upcoming fight in the coming weeks.

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Damir Ismagulov delays MMA retirement

Damir Ismagulov, Arman Tsarukyan, UFCDamir Ismagulov has ended his month-long retirement.  On Instagram, the UFC lightweight announced his intentions to unretire after finding out that he has one more fight left in his contract. He shared that he wants to fight at least one more time and called out his recent opponent Arman Tsarukyan.  “Recently, [my manager Sayat Abdrakhmanov] […]

Damir Ismagulov, Arman Tsarukyan, UFC

Damir Ismagulov has ended his month-long retirement. 

On Instagram, the UFC lightweight announced his intentions to unretire after finding out that he has one more fight left in his contract. He shared that he wants to fight at least one more time and called out his recent opponent Arman Tsarukyan. 

“Recently, [my manager Sayat Abdrakhmanov] informed me that I have one more fight left under my contract with @ufc . There were many offers from other leagues where fees were way higher and you could go in there and make money, but I came to @ufc not for the money but for the legacy, to prove to myself that I can compete against the strongest fighters! I finished my career, but after finding out I had another fight under my contract, I decided to go back and finish it! We accept to repay our debts! In the ultimate fight I lost to [Arman Tsarukyan] who is one of the strongest lightweight fighters in @ufc his fight is really on a good level! I would have let go of this moment if I knew I did everything I could and still lost. I think we can show the fight a lot better, more spectacular than 5 rounds or 3 doesn’t matter! We promised the fans to finish our fight early! @danawhite @sayatus @seanshelby revenge for us. Let’s hold the last battle with fireworks.”

Damir Ismagulov Wants To Redeem His Only UFC Loss

Ismagulov lost by unanimous decision to Tsarukyan last month at UFC Vegas 66. A couple weeks later, he announced his retirement and cited health problems as the reason. 

Now, the 31-year-old is looking to finish his career on his own terms. Before his recent loss, he was on a five-fight unbeaten streak. He holds a 24-2 record with 13 finishes in mixed martial arts.

Arman Tsarukyan calls for fight with UFC rival Michael Chandler: ‘Defend your ranking’

Arman Tsarukyan Michael Chandler UFCOff the back of an impressive unanimous decision victory over Damir Ismagulov, Armenian-born lightweight contender, Arman Tsarukyan has urged one-time vacant title challenger, Michael Chandler to defend his slot in the official rankings, claiming the Missouri native has severely low fight IQ to boot. Tsarukyan, the current #8 ranked lightweight contender, returned to the winner’s […]

Arman Tsarukyan Michael Chandler UFC

Off the back of an impressive unanimous decision victory over Damir Ismagulov, Armenian-born lightweight contender, Arman Tsarukyan has urged one-time vacant title challenger, Michael Chandler to defend his slot in the official rankings, claiming the Missouri native has severely low fight IQ to boot.

Tsarukyan, the current #8 ranked lightweight contender, returned to the winner’s enclosure back in December against Ismagulov, landing a one-sided decision victory after seeing his impressive run of five consecutive victories halted by Mateusz Gamrot in his first UFC main event last June.

For Chandler, the #5 rated challenger has yet to book his next Octagon outing, having most recently suffered a third round rear-naked choke loss to former interim 155lbs champion, Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 in November at Madison Square Garden.

Arman Tsarukyan calls for a fight with top-5 contender, Michael Chandler

Criticized alongside the likes of Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje of only sharing the Octagon with each other, rather than tackle incoming contenders and other top-15 challengers, Arman Tsarukyan has called for Chandler to defined his #5 spot, as well as criticizing his fighting ability.

“Hey @MikeChandlermMMA it’s time to defend your rankings!” Arman Tsarukyan tweeted. “Lowest fight IQ in the division against new MMA generation. I won’t see you at the top (saluting emoji).” 

19-3 as a professional, prior to his win over Ismagulov and his loss to Gamrot, Tsarukyan had landed back-to-back victories over Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Davi Ramos, Matt Frevola, Christos Giagos, and finished Joel Alvarez with a second round ground strikes barrage.

Prior to his submission loss against Poirier last November, Chandler, a former three-time Bellator MMA lightweight champion stopped former interim champion, Tony Ferguson with a highlight reel front kick KO in May of last year. 

Making his Octagon debut back in April 2019, Tsarukyan, who has been touted as a future title challenger at 155lbs, suffered a unanimous decision loss to current division pacesetter, Islam Makhachev.

Arman Tsarukyan welcomes March or April fight with Charles Oliveira: ‘Sounds good’

Charles Oliveira Arman TsarukyanUFC lightweight contender, Arman Tsarukyan has welcomed the possibility of welcoming former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira back to active competition as soon as March or April – as the Brazilian eyes an Octagon comeback in the opening quarter of this year. Tsarukyan, the current #9 ranked lightweight contender under the banner of the promotion, […]

Charles Oliveira Arman Tsarukyan

UFC lightweight contender, Arman Tsarukyan has welcomed the possibility of welcoming former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira back to active competition as soon as March or April – as the Brazilian eyes an Octagon comeback in the opening quarter of this year.

Tsarukyan, the current #9 ranked lightweight contender under the banner of the promotion, most recently featured on the UFC Vegas 66 card at the end of December last year, defeating Damir Ismagulov with a unanimous decision victory.

The win returned Armenian-born standout, Arman Tsarukyan to the winner’s enclosure after he suffered a unanimous judging loss to former KSW duel-weight champion, Mateusz Gamrot in his first promotional main event back in June of this year. Tsarukyan’s sole other professional loss came in the form of a UFC debut blemish against current champion, Islam Makhachev.

Seeing his division-best 11-fight undefeated streak halted last October on ‘Fight Island’ in the headliner of UFC 280, former champion, Oliveira was submitted by common-foe, Makhachev in the second round of their vacant title fight courtesy of an arm-triangle choke.

Yet to be officially booked for his next Octagon appearance, the fan-favorite recently revealed how he plans to fight as soon as the end of March or April this year, and believes he’s a single win from another UFC title challenge.

“I’ve been a long way from that belt,” Charles Oliveira said. “Today, I’m one fight away from him. UFC knows that – knows that I want. I didn’t come here to play. I came to make history. I want to fight around the end of March, April, that’s my timing. I need to fight on that date. And I need a guy who (is) winning, will definitely be the next challenger for the title.”

“He (Islam Makhachev) will fight now in February, so I, in March, April, caught a guy who puts me in front of the goal again for the title at the end of the year,” Charles Oliveira explained. “For sure {just one more fight to the belt}. Now I fight in March, April and at the end of the year for the title again.” 

Arman Tsarukyan targets fight with Charles Oliveira next

Reacting to Oliveira’s plans to land a quickfire Octagon comeback, Tsarukyan welcomed the opportunity to test his skills against the division’s number one ranked contender.

“Sounds good,” Arman Tsarukyan tweeted in response to Charles Oliveira. 

Prior to his loss against Polish contender, Gamrot last year, Arman Tsarukyan had climbed the ranks of the lightweight division with a string of consecutive wins against Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Davi Ramos, Matt Frevola, Christos Giagos, and a bloody decimation of Joel Alvarez.

Islam Makhachev Reveals Injury Has Left Planned October UFC Title Defense In Doubt

The UFC may be receiving a major blow to its schedule for the second half of 2024, as UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev has revealed that he is suffering from a hand injury. According to a video interview Makhachev did with Russian MMA and boxing media outlet Ushatayka, Makhachev revealed that a recent MRI has […]

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The UFC may be receiving a major blow to its schedule for the second half of 2024, as UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev has revealed that he is suffering from a hand injury.

According to a video interview Makhachev did with Russian MMA and boxing media outlet Ushatayka, Makhachev revealed that a recent MRI has shown damage to the ligaments in one of his hands.

It is unknown when he suffered this injury, though Makhachev seemed to suggest it may have come from his victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 last month.

Makhachev is currently exploring options and looking to see if he can recover without surgery. If he has to have the procedure, it will almost certainly leave him unable to compete for the rest of 2024.

This would mean the planned lightweight championship fight between Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26 is in major jeopardy.

“After the fight, my fists hurt, a lot of things hurt,” Makhachev said (translation provided via @ChampRDS on X). “We’ll take time, everything is healing little by little. An MRI recently confirmed that I have a partial ligament tear. Let’s see if I can recover. If not, I might even have to have surgery.

“(Fighting in Abu Dhabi on October 26) is questionable. We haven’t talked about the fight yet… I really want to perform before the end of the year. I plan to, too…let’s see what happens.”

Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan Title Fight Potentially Set For Delay

The UFC has annually held a fall pay-per-view (originally September before moving to October) in Abu Dhabi since 2019. All but one event has seen either Khabib Nurmagomedov or Makhachev main eventing.

Questions of Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan originally arose because of a nine-month suspension the Nevada State Athletic Commission handed down to Tsarukyan for a pre-fight altercation he had with a fan while making his entrance for UFC 300. However, it’s expected that the Russian-Armenian will do a PSA that will reduce his suspension to six months, allowing him to stay in the plans for an October title fight.

Tsarukyan defeated former champion Charles Oliveira at the event in a lightweight title eliminator to seemingly secure a second dance with the champ.

Makhachev, meanwhile, defeated Oliveira to claim the lightweight title at UFC 280. He retained the belt successfully against then-featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski twice in 2023.

It is unknown what the UFC’s plans would be for Abu Dhabi in October if Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan cannot take place. Mateusz Gamrot, who faces Dan Hooker at UFC 305 in August, is the only lightweight fighter in the top five of the UFC’s lightweight rankings — minus Tsarukyan — with a win in his most recent fight.

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