Arman Tsarukyan
While he hasn’t convinced UFC matchmakers to give him another shot at the lightweight title, Arman Tsarukyan remains the next big name in the division for sports analysts..
The former flyweight champion and record holder for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history, Demetrious Johnson, had nothing but praise for the Armenian in a video posted on his YouTube channel Monday afternoon.
After training with the potential title challenger, the former fighter praised his skills and the way he avoids falling into the mistakes of other athletes.
For Johnson, the way he performs inside the Octagon is the key to building a long career in the sport and rising to the top of the division, which is currently led by Ilia Topuria as the standout figure at lightweight.
“He’s super athletic, very strong, and adapts extremely well. He never gets tired and is always learning from his opponents. I was impressed by how good of a training partner he is, despite the size difference.”
“If he can train that way with different people, he’ll have a long career with only minor damage. There’s a right time to start training hard, but I think he’s the kind of person who could probably spend his entire career training that way and become a world champion,” Johnson argued.
But life’s ironies led to an unexpected injury that derailed the Armenian’s plans. Hours before the UFC 311 weigh-in, where he was set to face Islam Makhachev in the main event, Arman suffered a back injury and was forced out of his major title opportunity.
After his withdrawal, Renato Moicano stepped in to take the opportunity. From that moment on, he was sidelined by Dana White and will need to defeat more opponents to convince the promotion and regain his status as a title contender.
After announcing months ago a break to deal with personal issues following his divorce from Georgina Uzcátegui, Ilia Topuria shared on his social media that he is returning to the sport.
For now, he’s starting to train at his residence in Madrid and is awaiting a fight against Justin Gaethje in the title unification bout, which could take place on the UFC card at the White House.
