Islam Makhachev claps back at Arman Tsarukyan for his remarks on Russian's UFC 302 performance: "I guess I’ll have to do it again"
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has issued a response to Arman Tsarukyan, who has been critical of the 32-year-old.
Makhachev took on Dustin Poirier for the lightweight title in the main event of UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The fight was a highly competitive affair and ended with a fifth-round submission victory for the Dagestani.
Despite extending his winning streak to 14-0, Makhachev failed to impress Tsarukyan. 'Akhalkalakets' criticized Makhachev's performance and raised questions about his cardio.
Tsarukyan also claimed that he would knock the Dagestani out if they fought again inside the octagon.
Makhachev recently did an interview with Red Corner MMA where he fired back at the 27-year-old. The lightweight champion stated that Tsarukyan was just trying to grab attention with his trash-talk.
"[Arman Tsarukyan] just talks a lot. He can't get any attention through his fights. So, he's trying to do this by talking. He had his shot, I beat him once. I guess I'll have to do it again."
Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below (1:10):
Makhachev and Tsarukyan first shared the octagon in April 2019. The bout marked 'Akhalkalakets' debut in the UFC. The fight turned out to be an exciting showdown which went the 15-minute distance. In the end, Makhachev was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
The bout won the 'Fight of the Night' honors and both fighters walked away with a bonus sum of $50,000 each.
Dana White speaks about Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan
UFC CEO Dana White believes that the next UFC lightweight title fight should ideally be between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan.
White was present at the UFC 302 post-fight press conference where he expressed his excitement about the matchup. White also advised Makhachev not to think about moving up a weight class before locking horns against Tsarukyan.
"That's the fight to make, that's the fight. That's the fight everybody wants to see, that's the fight that needs to happen. When we were talking earlier about [Makhachev] moving up, if I was him, I wouldn't even think about moving up until he had that fight."
Check out Dana White's comments below (15:25):