UFC lightweight champ Ilia Topuria has ripped into Arman Tsarukyan, teeing off on the contender’s behaviour outside the Octagon and branding him a “little weasel”.
Topuria is currently in camp for a blockbuster title unification showdown with Justin Gaethje at the White House – but assuming he handles business, the undefeated Spaniard will soon be looking for his next challenger.
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Tsarukyan is the obvious frontrunner, but his missteps out of the cage have left the UFC hesitant to give him another title shot.
To his credit, Tsarukyan’s been flat out building his profile – hitting social media, showing up on streams and getting himself out there – and it’s starting to pay off.
Topuria, though, isn’t buying it.
“I’m really impressed with how dumb he is,” Topuria told The Ariel Helwani show.
“He’s a retard. I don’t know. He looks like a kid. Like his mentality. He’s dumb as f**k.
“Everything that I saw about him on the internet, it’s embarassing. A little bit. … F**k Arman. Who cares about him?
“The thing that I don’t like is when they play that they are rich and they show all that money and it’s like, bro, you’re not even rich.
“Are you that poor that the only thing that you have is money? And you’re spending your father’s money, not even yours. You know what I mean. He’s a f**king kid.”
The pair have traded shots online before, but Topuria reckons it’s all very different when they’re face to face.
“You know how they all play. They all gangsters, and when we cross the paths, they are like, ‘Oh, how are you? You all good?’,” he said.
“They smile, they like humble, normal human beings. But on Twitter, everyone is a gangster.”
As for a potential showdown, the champ couldn’t sound less concerned.
“He’s not on my level,” Topuria said.
“If we cross paths, I’m gonna break his jaw in the first round. What’s he going to do? He’s going to take me down? F**k, please. Listen to me, calm down.
“Calm down, do your thing, go to those wrestling tournaments, do your streams, and whenever the moment arrives, just make sure to show up, and I’m going to do the rest. The little weasel.”
Topuria has previously shown more interest in chasing welterweight champ Islam Makhachev after Gaethje, rather than facing Tsarukyan.
But if plans change, he says he’ll step up.
“If they call me tomorrow and they tell me that Justin is injured, I will fight Arman,” Topuria said. “No problem.”
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TOPURIA TAKES AIM AT PADDY
Topuria was also keeping a close eye on Paddy Pimblett during his fight with Gaethje, knowing the result would determine his next opponent.
“El Matador” admitted he had been quietly hoping for a different outcome – but says the performance left him stunned. And not in a good way.
“At some point, I was rooting for Paddy, as I was thinking that fight would be much bigger than the Justin fight,” Topuria said.
“But, everything happens for a reason. … I was a little surprised at how bad Paddy really is.
“I was expecting him to win, to be honest, to take him down, a different fight. What he did inside the Octagon in that fight really surprised me.
“He really proved that he’s a little sausage.”
And in a final brutal assessment, the champ doubts Pimblett can ever bridge the gap.
“How is he going to gain the skills and technique needed in this sport?” he said.
“That’s basically impossible. He needs to die and be born again.
“I didn’t even have to step inside the octagon to beat him, so that feels even a little bit better, to be honest.”
DIAZ COPPED A STRAY TOO
The Brit wasn’t the only one in the firing line, with cult hero Nate Diaz also copping a brutal stray.
When the conversation turned to Conor McGregor, Diaz’s name came up – and Topuria didn’t hold back.
“Bro, he sucks,” Topuria said. “He’s a punching bag.”
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Helwani pointed out Diaz was in his prime when he beat McGregor.
“It doesn’t matter, bro. He sucks,” Topuria fired back.
“He’s a f**king punching bag.”