After watching Islam Makhachev fight at UFC 302, Arman Tsarukyan is adamant that he can beat him.
Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) defended his lightweight title by submitting Dustin Poirier in the fifth round in last Saturday's main event. Tsarukyan will be looking to avenge his UFC debut loss to Makhachev and is considered a potential next title challenger.
Tsarukyan saw Makhachev slow down in his bout with Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) and figured he'd take advantage if Makhachev tired during the fight. Makhachev acknowledged speculation that he is battling a staph infection with less than a month until the bout.
“It's going to be a very easy fight for me,” Tsarukyan said on The MMA Hour. “Even in that fight, he was tired, which is why I was able to beat him. You can't do anything when you're tired. You can have the best skills in the world, but if you're tired, it's over. All of his five-round fights, he was tired against Volkanovski and against Dustin. Hopefully, that's going to be the key for me to win this fight.”
Poirier fought tenaciously, fending off multiple takedown attempts and dislocating Makhachev's core with elbow strikes, and Tsarukyan expected a good performance from him.
“I wasn't surprised,” Tsarukyan said. “I knew he had a really strong heart and I told everybody it was like 60-40. Everybody was like, 'Oh, Islam will win, 100%. I'm not giving him a chance,' but I knew it was going to be a tough fight. Dustin's a wimp, his defensive wrestling is super good and Islam couldn't choke him out. When he got tired in the fifth round, yeah, he took him down.”
“It wasn't his best performance. He was tired and sluggish. I think Islam was not in very good condition, or he was sick or something. I'm not criticizing him for his last fight. I've watched all his fights and I take it seriously. He is the number one pound-for-pound fighter. I will prepare as the best version of Islam Makhachev. I won't underestimate him. Dustin can defend himself with his wrestling and I will defend myself too.”
For more on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 302 event hub.
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