UFC fighter Arman Tsarukyan has had his sight set on this rematch for a while, and he has a lot in store for his opponent.
The 26-year-old disclosed he has a mystery move he plans on showing off at his lightweight battle with Makhachev. Tasrukyan says its a move many have never seen before, and there’s been a lot of speculation about what this secret move could be. Fans and reporters are eager to know what this secret move is but the fighter is content with keeping it a secret till fight day.
“Ah, my new technique,” Tsarukyan told Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman on the Pound 4 Poundpodcast (h/t MMA Fighting). “How can I share with you? This is a good move. Good things and he’s going to be surprised. I’ve never done it before.
“I train every day,” he added. “I want to find something new, to do something that I’ve never done before.”
That technique I’ve never seen in UFC,” Tsarukyan said during UFC 311 media day. “[I’ve never seen] jn highlights as well.
“Everybody’s asking ‘tell me your secret technique.’ Like how can I tell you? OK, high kick, I’m saying to everybody. I shouldn’t say [anything] about that secret technique. Everybody is asking the same questions. What is the secret technique? I don’t know, it don’t make sense to ask that question. It’s a high kick, guys.”
Tsarukyan says he has improved since his last time in the cage with Makhachev and has plans to take the fighter. He acknowledges that the ultimate goal is to defeat his opponent but his secret move may be employed to bring the bout to a close.
“Of course, I’ve changed so much,” Tsarukyan said. “I have improved all my skills, but the best thing I feel it’s experience from the fights. When you fight, you go there, you do some mistakes during the fight and then go to the gym and work on your new skills and after each fight, I feel like I’m getting better, better, better. The best thing I from the fight I got experience.
“Especially UFC experience. When you fight the first time, you’re super excited, you’re nervous, but now I’m already used to it, for the crowd, for the people, for the media. Now it’s like a job — just go there and have fun and fight.”
“For sure, that technique you’re going to say ‘oh wow, what is that?’” Tsarukyan said. “Like an upkick the last fight. You’ve never seen when I’m throwing upkicks. It’s a rare kick as well. A couple of fighters did an upkick in the UFC as well.”
The fighter gave a breakdown of how his rematch battle with Makhachev will be. He gives a detailed description of how the fight will go and how he plans on demolishing his opponent and staying on his toes.
“Islam is so smart,” he said. “He’s so well-rounded. He can strike, he can clinch, he can wrestle, but he has weaknesses as well. His conditioning not the best. So when he fights with a wrestle guy, when it’s going to be difficult to take down someone, he’s going to waste energy. His boxing is better than his kicks. I feel my kicks are way better than his. He is so smart as well, he knows how to move, how to relax, where you’ve got to drop your gloves, he has a lot of tricky things.
“On the clinch, he has good movement. He’s ready when you move and then takes you down, when you knee him and he flips you. He’s so smart, well-rounded fighter, and I’m just going to do my best there and I know how I can beat and I’ll go there I just feel my hands, power, I just can’t wait to show everybody what is the new version of Arman Tsarukyan.”
