Ilia Topuria isn’t pulling punches, not in the cage and certainly not in his interviews. As UFC 317 draws closer, the tension between Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan has officially spilled into the spotlight.
Topuria headlines the card this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, squaring off against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title. Tsarukyan, who was once in line for a title shot himself, has taken up the role of backup fighter for the main event. That move didn’t sit well with Topuria, who made it clear he sees the decision as a major misstep.
“That’s a bad decision for him,” Topuria told New York Post Sports. “I don’t know why he accepted, because you can’t come here as a backup fighter. I don’t know how did he train for this fight? If something happens to anyone, even to me, I think that there’s no possibility that something could happen with me, but who knows? No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. Even with Charles he would struggle a lot. And with me? He has no chances. No chances. First round. First minutes of the fight. What’s he going to do? Go for the takedowns. Bro, come on.”
Tsarukyan hasn’t stayed quiet. He fired back with confidence, issuing a sharp response via X:
“You better pray nothing happens to Charles, because I’m the worst possible matchup for you in this division. There’s a reason you’re fighting the guy I already beat, and not me, for that belt.”
Tsarukyan’s words reference his win over Oliveira at UFC 300, where he secured a split decision victory. That win extended his current four-fight streak and earned him a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311. But a back injury forced him out of the bout just one day before the event. Renato Moicano stepped in, and Tsarukyan had to reset his climb.
Topuria doesn’t believe Tsarukyan deserves another title shot just yet.
“I wouldn’t give him the chance immediately,” Topuria said. “He needs to win one more fight. He had the opportunity to fight for the title, he pulled out. I don’t know for what reasons, but he pulled out, so he needs to win his shot again. Against, I don’t know… someone. There’s Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimblett, many guys in the division that also deserve the shot. So they need to fight between each other.”
With gold on the line this weekend, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Topuria isn’t just focused on Oliveira, he’s already drawing battle lines for whoever steps up next. And if Tsarukyan thinks he’s next in line, he might have to earn it the hard way.
