Ilia Topuria puts fake ‘gangster’ Arman Tsarukyan on blast following UFC Qatar

Ilia Topuria has taken issue with Arman Tsarukyan’s constant ducking accusations.

Tsarukyan took center stage in the main event of UFC Qatar. He submitted Dan Hooker in the second round. “Ahalkalakets” has been pounding the table for a shot at Topuria’s UFC Lightweight Championship. He’s gone as far as to say “El Matador” has been ducking him.

Arman, every time we see each other in person you freeze up like a scared duck with no idea what to do. You know I handle you however I want. I fight whoever the UFC chooses. And remember I slapped you and you just laughed, then you go around acting like a gangster. So keep… pic.twitter.com/1O9S3PKOU1

— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) November 23, 2025

In a new post on his X account, Topuria slammed Tsarukyan and claimed he doesn’t have much to say whenever the two meet in person.

“Arman, every time we see each other in person you freeze up like a scared duck with no idea what to do,” Topuria wrote. “You know I handle you however I want. I fight whoever the UFC chooses. And remember I slapped you and you just laughed, then you go around acting like a gangster. So keep going, you’re on the right path… just a few levels below me, kid.”

Tsarukyan missed out on a UFC lightweight title opportunity when he suffered an injury mere hours before the UFC 311 weigh-ins. He was supposed to challenge Islam Makhachev for the gold back in January.

Makhachev since vacated the 155-pound gold and went on to claim the UFC Welterweight Championship after defeating Jack Della Maddalena. Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 back in June to capture the lightweight title.

As of now, Topuria’s first 155-pound championship defense has not been made official. Names such as Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje have both been rumored, but nothing has been made official. The general consensus among MMA experts is that Tsarukyan would be the toughest challenger for Topuria.

Tsarukyan extended his winning streak to five with the submission over Hooker. He has gone 10-1 in his last 11 outings. Tsarukyan hasn’t been defeated since June 2022. Whether or not he gets the next crack at the lightweight gold remains to be seen.