Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan "needs to happen," says Dana White
Arman Tsarukyan appears to be next up for Islam Makhachev, who successfully defended his lightweight title when he faced off against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Following his win, he called for a title shot at welterweight, but UFC CEO Dana White has stated that a clash with Tsarukyan is "the fight to make."
Tsarukyan was offered a fight with Makhachev after beating Charles Oliveira at UFC 299. But the short turnaround time meant that the Armenian declined the title shot, and the fight was offered to Poirier instead.
With the pair having fought in 2019 in an incredibly competitive clash, there has been much excitement about what a potential rematch between the pair could produce.
White appeared in front of the media following UFC 302 where he was asked about the likelihood of Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan happening next. He said this:
"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. But I don't know about having that fight in Russia. I don't know where we would do it."
Watch Dana White discuss Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan below (15:25):
Arman Tsarukyan predicts he will KO Islam Makhachev in rematch
In 2019, Arman Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev faced-off in one of the most high-level grappling clashes in recent memory.
The Dagestani secured a decision victory, and both fighters continued to rack up wins as they climbed the division towards a title shot. Makhachev is now the king of the lightweight division, whilst his former opponent occupies the number one ranking.
With Tsarukyan having been name-dropped by UFC CEO Dana White as Makhachev's next opponent, there appears to be little doubt about who will feature in the next lightweight title bout.
Ahead of potentially his first UFC title fight, the Armenian was interviewed by Ariel Helwani, where he shared the following prediction for his rematch with Makhachev. He said this:
"Yeah, [he is] definitely overhyped. They think they're unbeatable. I don't know why, they're the same as us. Not the whole team, Islam thinks no one can beat him. But I can definitely do that. When Islam came to the weigh-ins [for UFC 302] everyone started booing. He wanted to fight in New York, but after this fight I think he wants to go to Abu Dhabi because New York doesn't like him... I'm going to beat him by KO, no doubt."
Watch Arman Tsarukyan's interview below: