Arman Tsarukyan’s nest opponent – Three possible options
Arman Tsarukyan had a coming out party last night when he knocked out Beneil Dariush in the first round. In just over a minute, Tsarukyan went from underground favorite to bonafide contender. Now it’s time to postulate on the future for the Armenian contender.
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Islam Makhachev 2? Never say never
In his post fight speech, Arman Tsarukyan called out the now-champion Islam Makhachev. It may seem like a bit of a stretch for the new contender to call for the pound for pound king but Tsarukyan and Makhachev have a history. In 2019, Tsarukyan stepped in on short notice in his UFC debut to take on Makhachev. This was a point where everyone knew that Makhachev was next in line for Khabib’s throne.
The fight was incredibly close, closer than most Makhachev fights. Tsarukyan came up short, perhaps because of the short notice nature. Since then, Tsarukyan went on a tear beating names like Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Matt Frevola, Damir Ismagulov, and now Beneil Dariush.
Now could be the time to book the rematch on the biggest stage in the world and the story is there to tell.
The BMF: Justin Gaethje
I’m down for a Justin Gaethje fight any time. After defeating Tony Ferguson, Gaethje lost his first title shot to Khabib Nurmagomedov. He rebounded with a win over Michael Chandler, then lost to Charles Oliveira for the title. Now with two wins on the trot to Rafael Fiziev and Dustin Poirier, some are calling for a title shot for Gaethje.
I’m not so convinced. Gaethje lost two title shots and one was to Khabib. What’s to make anyone believe that a fight with Makhachev would be anything different? Who is a grappler that can be a test for Gaethje to give him a chance to prove that he is a better fighter?
Arman Tsarukyan.
Another rematch: Mateusz Gamrot
Mateusz Gamrot is the last man to defeat Arman Tsarukyan. The fight happened in June of 2022 and was as close as a fight can get. Many actually thought Gamrot was gifted a decision and Tsarukyan was the rightful winner.
With Gamrot winning two straight against Jalin Turner and Rafael Fiziev, he was tapped to play backup to Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira October before Gamrot was passed up for Alexander Volkanovski for some odd reason.
Gamrot and Tsarukyan could possibly run this sucker back for the grapply boys and have a number one contender fight while Gaethje and Charles get sifted through for a title shot. Someone’s got to get left out in this scenario and risk becoming the new Beneil Dariush.
