Ilia Topuria has put the entire lightweight division on notice. After rampaging through Charles Oliveira, he is looking hungry for more. And one name that ‘El Matador’ has repeatedly called out is that of Islam Makhachev. In a recent interview, he vowed to knock out the former lightweight king, too! However, despite his confidence, fellow lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan has an entirely different take on the matter. He believes Topuria would have been knocked out by the Dagestani icon!
Tsarukyan recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Ariel Helwani. Speaking of a prospective superfight, Tsarukyan stated that Makhachev holds the edge. He further termed the Dagestani as a fighter of a “different level.” Continuing with his analysis, the Armenian believed that Makhachev has the potential to drop Topuria with a TKO.
“Islam would have TKO’d Topuria. That’s a different level of fighter,” said Tsarukyan.
Arman Tsarukyan favors Islam Makhachev to win against Ilia Topuria and Jack Della Maddalena.
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 2, 2025
"Islam would have TKO’d Topuria. That's a different level of fighter," Arman said talking to @arielhelwani.
"He's not the pound-for-pound number 1 because he's not a champion anymore.… pic.twitter.com/FTuisZNWST
Tsarukyan also pointed out that Islam Makhachev has dropped in the pound-for-pound rankings due to his vacating his title. Predicting a win over Jack Della Maddalena, Tsarukyan stated that the Dagestani would return to take his number one spot. However, despite the analysis, Ilia Topuria seems quite confident in his abilities.
Ilia Topuria Vows To Knock Out Islam Makhachev
Topuria thinks Islam Makhachev ducked him! Speaking with TMZ Sports, Topuria stated that he would have knocked out Makhachev. ‘El Matador’ further pointed out that if the UFC had offered him a fight against Justin Gaethje, Makhachev might not have moved to welterweight.
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“If the UFC offered him to fight Justin Gaethje… I think he would stay at 155… He knows I’m dangerous. He knows I’m gonna put him to sleep. Even Khabib [knows],” said Topuria.
Ilia Topuria says Islam Makhachev ran away from him:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 2, 2025
“If the UFC offered him to fight Justin Gaethje… I think he would stay at 155…
He knows I’m dangerous. He knows I’m gonna put him to sleep. Even Khabib [knows].” 😳😳
🎥 @TMZ_Sports #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/SuwMWrb0GQ
Thus, with things looking quite interesting, it now remains to be seen how things pan out in the future
Also Read: UFC Veteran Says Ilia Topuria Should Be Holding Three Belts Right Now
