Ilia Topuria & Arman Tsarukyan Escalate Wild War of Words in Latest UFC News

The escalating war of words between Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan gives UFC a clear indication of what the MMA market-leading firm’s next big bout could be.
Tsarukyan returned to the Octagon on the 22nd of November atop the Fight Night card in Qatar and completely manhandled Dan Hooker in a one-sided clinic. After an opening minute of confusion because of Hooker continually switching stances, Tsarukyan’s strength and power in grappling exchanges saw him put a stamp on the fight, and forcing a second-round submission with an arm-triangle choke.
Victory advanced Tsarukyan’s formidable pro record to 23 wins (9 KOs and 6 Subs) against three losses, with five wins in succession suggesting he deserves dibs on the lightweight championship fight next, particularly after his title eliminator success against Charles Oliveira, last year.
Topuria was one of the first to react to Tsarukyan’s weekend win, and it was not long before Tsarukyan responded.
Inside Ilia Topuria & Arman Tsarukyan’s War of Words
Topuria, unbeaten so far, was a lightning rod before he even joined the UFC in 2020 and went on to dominate featherweight and lightweight, scoring monumental victories over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Oliveira. And, despite Tsarukyan’s clear pedigree, Topuria has resisted the challenger’s advances, and even went so far as to say he’d rather vacate his hard-earned title than have to defend it against the No.1-ranked fighter.
Tsarukyan, that No.1-ranked fighter at 155 pounds, used the platform Saturday and momentum from his thrilling win over Hooker, to call out Topuria, which didn’t go down well with the champ online.