Benoit Saint Denis wants to fight Arman Tsarukyan and questions Islam Makhachev's activity as champion
Benoit Saint Denis has named fighters that he would like to face in his next UFC outing.
'God of War' recently did an interview with Farah Hannoun for MMA Junkie, during which he spoke about matters such as his fight against Dustin Poirier and his thoughts on the BMF title joust between Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje.
At one point during the conversation, Saint Denis shared that he would be interested in locking horns against Dan Hooker as he wants to face the highest ranked fighter possible:
"I would like to face somebody wth the best possible number next to his name. So, if it's Dan Hooker, it's Dan Hooker."
Later, when 'God of War' was asked for his thoughts on a dream scenario, he mentioned a showdown against Arman Tsarukyan.
The 28-year-old acknowledged that Tsarukyan might be next in line for the title but justified his choice by taking a dig at Islam Makhachev. The French fighter argued that the Russian is not very active as champion, so a clash between the Dagestani and Tsarukyan might not happen anytime soon:
"I would love to face Arman Tsarukyan. it will be a great fight. He's obviously the contender number one, but Makhachev is not the most active champion... A lot of stuff can happen in this division. Let's see what happens... I think a fight against Arman Tsarukyan would be perfect but I'm not the matchmaker of the UFC."
Check out Benoit Saint Denis' comments from the 18:30 mark and the 29:40 mark below:
Can Benoit Saint Denis vs. Arman Tsarukyan become a reality?
Arman Tsarukyan is currently ranked number one in the UFC lightweight rankings. 'Akhalkalakets' is riding a four-fight win streak that includes victories over Beneil Dariush and former champion Charles Oliveira.
Benoit Saint Danis, on the other hand, currently holds the 13th spot in the lightweight rankings. 'God of War's' last fight took place this past March when he went up against Dustin Poirier in the co-main event of UFC 299.
The night did not go well for the 28-year-old as he suffered a brutal knockout loss in the second round.
Considering their recent records and the positions they currently hold in the lightweight division, it probably would not make much sense for the UFC to scheduled aclsh between the two fighters.