Arman Tsarukyan brings up Jon Jones winning title at 23 while highlighting why it is impossible to do it now
Arman Tsarukyan recently explained what separates MMA from every other sport on the planet. The lightweight contender also shared why he thinks there are fewer young champions in the sport today than ever before.
The 10 youngest UFC champions all range between 23 and 25 years of age. The most recent entry on the list happens to be the No.1 entry, Jon Jones, who won the UFC title at 23 years and 8 months old. 'Bones' defeated Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua in 2011 at UFC 128 to become the youngest UFC champion to date.
Arman Tsarukyan recently spoke to matchtv.ru and gave his theory on why we don't see as many young champions in MMA. The Georgian-born fighter said:
"Maybe the competition is higher. Maybe fighters mature late. At 20-21 years old, it is almost impossible for an MMA fighter to become a UFC champion. It seems that only Jon Jones became the champion at 23, but now, I think, this is impossible."
The only fighter that comes to mind who could viably break into the list of the top 10 youngest UFC champions is Raul Rosas Jr., who won his first-ever UFC fight at the age of 18 earlier this month.
Rosas Jr. himself has stated that he hopes to emulate Jon Jones and become the youngest champion in the promotion's history.
Arman Tsarukyan believes Paddy Pimblett lost against Jared Gordon
Paddy Pimblett's decision victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 several weeks ago has been a talking point amongst fans and fighters alike. Many felt 'Flash' had won the fight fairly convincingly and were shocked that the judges handed Pimblett a unanimous decision win.
Arman Tsarukyan recently shared his thoughts on the fight when he spoke to MMA journalist 'The Schmo'.
The No.9-ranked UFC lightweight stated:
"Yeah it was a close, good fight, hopefully Paddy gets a good opponent [next]. It was a close fight, but I thought Paddy lost. It is what it is... First roud was pretty close, but the second and third round, Paddy lost 100 percent."
Watch the interview below:
With a UFC pay-per-view card scheduled for London in March 2023, Jared Gordon has called Pimblett out for a rematch in front of 'The Baddy's' home crowd. Pimblett is yet to respond and with the UFC wanting to maximize the Scouser's star power, it seems unlikely that they will book the rematch.