Arman Tsarukyan’s dominant submission victory over Dan Hooker in Qatar this past weekend has strengthened his case to get a fight with current lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, and a war of words is already breaking out between the two rivals.
The two actually briefly met backstage following Tsarukyan’s victory, and while camera footage suggests it was just a brief and harmless interaction, Topuria has since tried to paint a different picture of what happened.
“Arman, every time we see each other in person you freeze up like a scared duck with no idea what to do,” Topuria wrote on X. “You know I handle you however I want. I fight whoever the UFC chooses.
“And remember I slapped you and you just laughed, then you go around acting like a gangster. So keep going, you’re on the right path… just a few levels below me, kid.”
If you’re watching that video and thinking it doesn’t seem like anything happened then your not the only one as Tsarukyan feels the same way.
“Bro, you touched my neck like we were taking a family photo and now you’re calling it a slap online,” Tsarukyan responded.
“The clip is clear – your insecurity’s even clearer. I don’t need to act tough for Twitter, my work is inside the cage. If you want to know what a real slap feels like, I’ll be happy to educate you. See you soon, El Pato.”
While his slap game might not be shaking any trees, there’s no doubting Topuria’s devastating punching power in the Octagon as he’s finished six of his nine UFC opponents so far via knockout, including his latest trio of emphatic finishes against top-flight opposition in Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira.
In total, Topuria holds a perfect 17-0 record, including a nine-fight winning streak in the UFC so far, while Tsarukyan is 23-3 in his career, including a 10-2 run in the Octagon.
