Arman Tsarukyan doesn’t think it would be wise for Ilia Topuria to fight Paddy Pimblett right now.
Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) was battered in a lightweight title loss to Justin Gaethje in Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 headliner at the White House in Washington DC. The doctors intervened at the end of Round 4 to wave the fight off after Topuria suffered significant damage to both eyes.
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Pimblett (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) reveled in Topuria’s loss. He meets Benoit Saint Denis in the UFC 329 co-headliner on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+). If Pimblett wins, he can finally settle his beef with Topuria, but Tsarukyan advises “El Matador” against that move.
“Paddy is not the best matchup for him (Topuria), after that loss,” Tsarukyan said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “Because Paddy has a good chin, it’s difficult to knock him out. Five rounds, it’s going to be tough with Paddy. Just give him Michael Chandler. Come back, knock him out. They’ve got to protect him, you know.”
Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) praised Topuria for making no excuses after the loss but would like to see him act more humble after throwing a victory party prior to the fight.
“I think this loss is going to give him a lot of lessons,” Tsarukyan said. “Not to be overconfident and to respect your opponent and keep grinding. I think he was more focused on his media stuff more than training camp.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Arman Tsarukyan knows who Ilia Topuria’s next fight SHOULDN’T be
