Arman Tsarukyan gave Islam Makhachev arguably his toughest test to date and hopes they can run things back.
After he beat Tsarukyan in April 2019, Makhachev (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) went on to win six straight and captured the vacant lightweight title with a dominant submission finish of Charles Oliveira at UFC 280.
Tsarukyan (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) went on a run himself and won five in a row before he was edged out by Mateusz Gamrot in June. He aims to rebound when he meets Damir Ismagulov at UFC Fight Night 216 on Dec. 17 and hopes to kickstart a title run.
“It would be Islam Makhachev,” Tsarukyan said of his dream fight in an interview with Red Corner MMA. “He has improved a lot and he got a lot of experience because he already has the title and he’s the champion. I’ve got to work hard and I have a couple of fights to win and hopefully I get a title shot in one year and a half.”
Makhachev makes his first title defense against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 284 main event Feb. 11 in Perth, Australia. Tsarukyan expects Volkanovski to be a stern test for the champion, but sees Makhachev retaining his title.
“I think Volkanovski is going to give him a tough fight,” Tsarukyan said. “Volkanovski knows striking, wrestling – he’s tough. His cardio is good. He has a lot of experience, and I think for Islam, it’s a very big challenge. But in my opinion, Islam is going to win.”
