Islam Makhachev is considered by most, except UFC CEO Dana White, as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. Yet, despite his accolades and praise, Arman Tsarukyan finds Makhachev to be a bit overrated.
That’s right, Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who challenges Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) for his UFC lightweight title in the main event of UFC 311 in January, thinks the public has made Makhachev more than what he is.
“He’s not that good like people think,” Tsarukyan told ESPN in a recent interview. People think he’s unbeatable, like crazy wrestling, but like I took him down when I was 22 years old.”
Makhachev and Tsarukyan fought back in April 2019. It was Tsarukyan’s UFC debut, which he took on short notice. The fight ended up going all 15 minutes, with Tsarukyan coming up short in a unanimous decision, but putting on an admirable effort.
Given the nature of their first meet, Tsarukyan is confident he’s the only guy at 155 pounds equipped to beat Makhachev.
“First of all, I know how to wrestle very well,” Tsarukyan said. “Second, I’m young and hungry. I’ve never had the belt, so it drives me very well. I have a lot of energy for the trainings and I believe I’m the guy who’s going to beat him. But the most important thing is that I’m very hungry. I want that belt so much. It’s a dream. When I got in the UFC, I was thinking about that. I’ve been thinking about it for five years.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 311 title challenger Arman Tsarukyan: Islam Makhachev is not as good as people think
