Arman Tsarukyan urges Ilia Topuria to avoid welterweight before fighting him: “Just accept the fight”

Arman Tsarukyan has dared Ilia Topuria to fight him before moving up to the welterweight division.

Topuria has had his sights set on a potential clash with UFC Welterweight Champion Islam Makhachev. First, “El Matador” will need to focus on his lightweight title unification bout with Justin Gaethje, which is scheduled to headline UFC Freedom 250 on June 14.

Tsarukyan has been staying active outside of the Octagon, but he’s firmly set on earning a shot at the 155-pound gold. Serving as a guest on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Tsarukyan insisted that Topuria shouldn’t chase Makhachev’s title before they get a chance to settle things.

“We’ll see how I’m not gonna take him down,” Tsarukyan said. “I can take down anybody. About he’s gonna break my jaw, whatever he wants to do, just accept the fight. Why you ducking if you’re super confident that you can beat me so easy in the first round? So, just sign the contract after this fight, and don’t move up. …Because I’m an easy fight, why you wanna move up?”

Tsarukyan’s most recent MMA bout was a submission win over Dan Hooker back in Nov. 2025 in Qatar. “Ahalkalakets” has dabbled in some American freestyle wrestling under the RAF banner. He’s also had a submission-only grappling match with former UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev. Tsarukyan has been calling for a RAF battle with Colby Covington.

Topuria and Tsarukyan have been engaged in a war of words over the past few months. Tsarukyan insists that Topuria has been avoiding him. There is some beef between the two, but time will tell when the UFC brass will book them for a fracas inside the Octagon.

Do you think Arman Tsarukyan will fight the winner of the UFC Freedom 250 main event between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje? Share your opinion in the comments below.