Arman Tsarukyan shares why he'd prefer to fight Justin Gaethje or Charles Oliveira over ATT teammate Dustin Poirier
Arman Tsarukyan may be closing in on a UFC lightweight title opportunity after entering the top-five of the rankings following his dominant first-round knockout against Beneil Dariush.
The No.4-ranked lightweight will likely need one more win, in what has become a crowded title picture. 'Akhalkalakets' recently revealed that while he would be willing to face American Top Team teammate Dustin Poirier, he prefers a bout against Justin Gaethje or Charles Oliveira.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, Tsarukyan was asked about facing his teammate, responding:
"Yes, I would, but to be honest, I don’t want to fight with him because he lost last fight. It doesn’t make sense to fight with him. If I beat him, people say, ‘Oh, he just lost last fight. How do you want to fight for the title?’ I need someone who definitely after that fight I’m going to get title fight. It’s like, Gaethje or Oliveira."
Speaking on Poirier, the No.4-ranked lightweight added:
"He is a legend. I respect him. He’s a tough fighter and he won an interim title. Big deal. He beat a lot of good people and he’s a every good fighter. Especially to watch his fights is always exciting. I guess I’m just telling, it doesn’t make sense to fight him because if I win, people are going to say he just lost to Gaethje, but if I beat Oliveira or Gaethje I’m like, 99.9 per cent I'm going to fight for the title."
Check out Arman Tsarukyan's comments on facing Dustin Poirier below (starting at the 9:17 mark):
While a bout with Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje makes sense, both fighters appear to be in line for a title shot and content on waiting. Despite their status as teammates, a matchup with Poirier could be Tsarukyan's best opportunity to solidify a title opportunity.
Daniel Cormier suggested Arman Tsarukyan faces Dustin Poirier at UFC 300
While the lightweight title picture remains crowded, Daniel Cormier suggested that Arman Tsarukyan face Dustin Poirier to clear up the division.
Speaking on his podcast, DC & RC, the former double champ and UFC Hall of Famer shared that he doesn't believe the No.4-ranked lightweight will jump Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje for a title shot before adding:
"I believe that if Islam [Makhachev] fights sometime in the first quarter of the year, you put Tsarukyan on UFC 300 against Dustin Poirier because Dustin said he wants to fight at that point. You know that UFC 300 is somewhere around April. You put him on UFC 300 and then maybe, maybe, he comes back at the end of the year for that third fight that Makhachev said he wants."
Check out Daniel Cormier's comments on Arman Tsarukyan's lightweight title picture below (starting at the 10:44 mark):
Cormier added that the winner of the bout would be in line for a lightweight title opportunity after Oliveira and Gaethje. He noted that, unlike many contenders, Tsarukyan has shared that he intends to fight rather than sit out and wait for a title opportunity. Moreover, Islam Makhachev has shared that he hopes to defend his belt three times in 2024.