Arman Tsarukyan has a lot of respect for Islam Makhachev.
In 2019, Tsarukyan made his UFC debut, taking on Makhachev at UFC St. Petersburg, where he lost a unanimous decision. Last year, the two were set to rematch for the lightweight title at UFC 311, but a last-minute injury forced Tsarukyan off the card. Instead, Makhachev successfully defended his title against replacement opponent Renato Moicano, and then left the lightweight division to move up to 170 pounds.
And now that he’s gone, Tsarukyan believes no one in the lightweight division can outwrestle him.
“Right now, at 155? Nobody,” Tsarukyan told Demetrious Johnson when ’Mighty Mouse’ asked him who could outwrestle him. “I shouldn’t worry. It was Islam, but he went up.”
“He doesn’t waste energy,” Tsarukyan added. “He’s so calm, too.”
That’s high praise coming from Tsarukyan, who is one of the premier grapplers in the UFC at the moment. Along with several submission grappling wins over the past year, Tsarukyan also tech-falled four-time NCAA Division 1 All-America Lance Palmer at RAF 5 in January.
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