Arman Tsarukyan has turned words into action. Talks of a championship fight between the brightest lightweights from the post-Soviet space have been circulating since the beginning of the year. UFC President Dana White, even before Tsarukyan's April fight against Oliveira, stated that the winner would become the mandatory contender for the belt and would face Makhachev.
As a result, Arman secured victory and immediately called out Islam for a fight. Most likely, the match will take place at UFC 308, scheduled for October 26, 2024, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Bookmakers favor Makhachev, but Tsarukyan is undeterred
If you look at the bookmakers' odds, it seems Arman has almost no chance. The odds for Makhachev start at 1.27, while for Tsarukyan, they begin at 4.20. However, experts and fans making predictions and betting on sports are not ruling out Tsarukyan.
This is not only due to Arman’s bold statements, where he promised to outclass Islam. The fighters share a history — they fought in April 2019 at UFC Fight Night 149 in St. Petersburg. Tsarukyan made his debut in the world's top promotion and lost to Makhachev by unanimous decision. According to the Akhalkalaki native, back then, he gave in to emotions: he was nervous about his debut and wanted to win so badly that he forgot the fight plan.
Since then, Makhachev (26 wins, 1 loss in 27 fights) has managed to capture the belt and has already defended it three times. On the side of the Dagestani fighter are vast experience in five-round fights (for the past two years, he has fought only in championship bouts), monstrous cardio, and elite wrestling. Additionally, in recent years, he has improved his striking game to the point where he knocked out Alex Volkanovski himself in October 2023.