Islam Makhachev isn’t one to avoid a contender, but it seems like his team is maintaining their stance on who he shall fight next. As reports suggest he could be up for a comeback during International Fight Week, Ilia Topuria has claimed to have been promised a title shot after he vacated the featherweight title. However, Makhachev’s mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, doesn’t seem to be in favor of handing an immediate title fight to ‘La Leyenda’. Instead, ‘The Eagle’ is calling for the original #1 contender, Arman Tsarukyan.
Dana White has heavily emphasized that Arman Tsarukyan will not get a title match next after pulling out of the initially planned encounter at UFC 311 just a couple of days before the PPV went down. However, he’s got the unlikely backing of Khabib Nurmagomedov because the 29-0 legend believes ‘Ahalkalakets’ offers a more compelling challenge. “I think Arman is a more serious fighter than Topuria. Topuria is a good fighter at 145, but we haven’t seen him at 155. I believe Arman is more competitive for Islam than Topuria,” Nurmagomedov told Adam Zubayraev during a recent interview.
Well, we all know how the fight went down the first time between Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev. Although the champ won, there will still be some doubts given that the competitive stakes are pretty high. A chance to fight the Armenian again gives Makhachev a chance to shut his critics and prove his superiority over ‘Ahalkalakets’. However, UFC legend Chael Sonnen seems to have an issue here.
‘The American Gangster’ appears quite sure that Ilia Topuria may not be getting a title shot on his lightweight debut in the UFC. That way, Khabib Nurmagomedov could get what he wants. But the catch is that Arman Tsarukyan, who seems to be the most ‘deserving’ among all the other top 5 155’ers to fight Islam Makhachev next, may not necessarily see Dana White handing him a title shot again just because Khabib wants it to happen.
“The part that I don’t think Khabib could succeed at is getting Tsarukyan a title shot. That, to me, would be the bigger surprise,” Chael Sonnen stated on his YouTube channel. “We cannot argue whether or not Tsarukyan belongs… we cannot argue that he doesn’t deserve [a title shot]. He had a piece of paper. He never lost. He just lost a piece of paper.”
The UFC boss has already made his stance clear on Arman Tsarukyan, who needs to go back to the drawing board. But in the midst of the statement that Khabib Nurmagomedov has made, Sonnen doesn’t seem to understand why the Armenian star hasn’t addressed it. But in the end, even ‘The American Gangster’ seems to agree with ‘The Eagle’s pick, claiming Tsarukyan to be the most compelling title challenger in the lightweight division.
“Tsarukyan had the ranking, and he had the bout agreement. And he’s also been oddly quiet… But now we’re hearing Khabib saying that it must be Tsarukyan next, and it’s very hard to rectify those two statements,” Chael Sonnen added. “It was an idea and an opinion of, as it pertains to, Islam Makhachev. [It is] the most accurate opinion we’ve ever heard.”
MOSCOW, RUSSIA DECEMBER 13, 2021: Mixed martial artist Khabib Nurmagomedov gives a press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz at World Trade Centre Moscow. Valery Sharifulin/TASS PUBLICATIONxINxGERxAUTxONLY TS11BAC2
Meanwhile, Arman Tsarukyan recently claimed, amidst speculation about his next fight, that he knows it’s in his destiny to lock horns with Islam Makhachev. And besides Khabib Nurmagomedov, another MMA figure has come out to explain why ‘Ahalkalakets’ deserves to fight for the title.
Javier Mendez argues why Arman Tsarukyan deserves to fight Islam Makhachev next
Everybody seems to be favoring Arman Tsarukyan when it comes to Islam Makhachev’s camp. American Kickboxing Academy’s Javier Mendez has also joined the bandwagon, praising the Armenian star for the work he’s put in and the fact that the UFC 311 pullout was just unfortunate. And guess what? Mendez claims to have seen a similarity between Tsarukyan’s and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s journey in the UFC.
“For me, I would want Arman to get his just due, you know, his shot, because he worked very hard for it. I know that’s not the way it works, but I just remember Khabib being in the same situation as him,” Javier Mendez told ‘Submission Radio’. “Unfortunately for Khabib, when he got injured, he had to go back to the drawing board too. So, you know, I feel for Arman because, you know, he was deserving of that opportunity, and unfortunately, it didn’t work out for him.”
It’s always about bringing the most eyes Dana White can possibly bring and filling in as many seats in a venue as possible. So, what do you think? Who deserves to fight Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title next? Drop your comments below.
The post Bad News Handed to Khabib as Islam Makhachev’s Revenge Plan Against Arman Tsarukyan Gets Halted appeared first on EssentiallySports.
