Arman Tsarukyan slams Ilia Topuria after absent UFC lightweight champ’s X-rated rant

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and top contender Arman Tsarukyan continue to go at it from afar.

Ilia Topuria’s first lightweight title defense hit an indefinite delay as the champion deals with personal issues outside of the Octagon. Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett will fight for the interim lightweight title next month at UFC 324 for the right to welcome Topuria back to the cage.

This leaves Arman Tsarukyan as the odd man out of the lightweight title picture, despite a massive win over Dan Hooker in his last fight at UFC Qatar. The UFC brass wants Tsarukyan to win another fight or two before getting another title shot, and Topuria took things a step further in recent remarks.

Topuria aimed at the top lightweight contender Tsarukyan in a recent interview with El Doberdan.

“He’s had the chance to fight for the title and he pulled out,” Topuria said of Tsarukyan.

“Maybe he had to change his underwear…what he doesn’t understand is that people are investing money to promote him. So when you see someone you’re supporting and they give you that in return, would you keep supporting them?

“Arman, from here, go f— yourself.”

Arman Tsarukyan hits back at Ilia Topuria

In a recent post to X, Tsarukyan responded to Topuria’s fiery rhetoric.

“You talking about taking time off from fighting to fix your family issues, but it looks like you have plenty of free time for all these interviews,” Tsarukyan said of Topuria.

“You’re a joke El Panocha.”

Tsarukyan was supposed to fight Islam Makhachev in the UFC 311 main event earlier this year before withdrawing on hours’ notice due to a back injury. He returned at UFC Qatar last month, defeating Dan Hooker by submission.

Bad blood is brewing between Topuria and some of the top lightweights, including Tsarukyan. Time will tell if a fight between Topuria and Tsarukyan comes to fruition.