The UFC is currently looking for the next challenger to face Islam Makhachev. Arman “Ahalkalakets” Tsarukyan believes he poses the biggest threat to Makhachev, also believing he is just one win away from a title shot.
Is Arman Tsarukyan Deserving of a Shot?
‘Ahalkalakets’ holds a record of 21-3 and made his debut in the UFC against the current champion. The fight ended in favour of Islam Makhachev via Unanimous Decision. Since then, Islam has gone on to become the pound-for-pound king in the UFC. Makhachev has also claimed the Lightweight Championship in the process with a victory over Charles Oliveira, defending it twice against Alexander Volkanovski since winning the belt.
Tsarukyan has since battled back, securing victories in 8 of his last nine fights. He is currently riding a 3 fight-winning streak which included knocking out Beneil Dariush in the first round. While he has suffered another defeat to Mateusz Gamrot, this is a highly controversial defeat with many people having the Armenian winning that fight.
On April 13th 2024, Tsarukyan will undergo a massive fight against Charles Oliveira to see if he is ready to face the champion. This fight will be on the massive UFC 300 Card. Similarly, Charles Oliveira is coming into this fight off the back of a knockout victory in the first round against Beneil Dariush. Dana White even confirmed this fight would decide who the number one contender is.
While Dana White said this fight was to determine number one contender, the current champion wants to make a return in June of 2024. This would only allow around 2 months for recovery and to get back into a training camp for the fight to happen. Former lightweight interim champion Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier made his return to the Octagon back at UFC 299. ‘The Diamond’ was able to get back into the win column by securing a knockout victory against Benoit Saint-Denis.
After the fight, Poirier called out the champion for a fight in June, which the champion approved. While nothing has been agreed, the two seem to be happy with a fight taking place in June.
Is Makhachev Scared of Ahalkalakets?
Arman Tsarukyan commented on the champion and accused Makhachev of purposely trying to avoid him.
“I feel like Islam wants to avoid us,” Tsarukyan said in a recent interview with Morning Kombat. “He feels like I’m going to win and, for him, it’s better to fight Poirier than me. I am more of a danger for him because I know wrestling. Maybe he can make more money with Dustin. It’s probably because of that, he’s more interested. Anyway, for me it doesn’t matter. I’m just focused on Charles Oliveira because he is one of the best in our division. I have to focus on him. This is the biggest fight for me.”
Quotes via Morning Kombat
There may be some truth to this due to the recent conversations between the champion and Dustin Poirier. Even though the champion knows Dana White has promised the winner of Oliveira vs. Tsarukyan a chance for the title. Islam is still trying to arrange fights against other contenders instead of waiting and arranging a fight with the winner.
Other Contenders for the Lightweight Title
Arman Tsarukyan has been on a very impressive winning streak at the moment, being able to get through the last few opponents with ease. The issue is there are a lot of different contenders and match-ups which the champion can choose from. Dustin Poirier would bring a new and fresh match-up for the champion as he has already defeated both Tsarukyan and Oliveira.
The fight that is happening at UFC 300 isn’t the only fight that is happening in the lightweight division. This is due to the “BMF” champion Justin Gaethje fighting and defending the title against Max Holloway on the same night. Whoever comes out as the winner of this fight will have taken a massive step forward in becoming next in line to challenge the champion.
Does Tsarukyan deserve the title fight with a win? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Featured Image Credit to Embed from Getty Images
