Arman Tsarukyan is going to work overnight at UFC 300.
The lightweight challenger will face Charles Oliveira on the main card of this Saturday's pay-per-view in Las Vegas. Although he has great respect for the former UFC champion, he plans on scoring a fast finish to convince the matchmakers that he is the man to challenge for the championship. Next is the title.
“It’s going to be a crazy fight, because [Oliveira] He knows wrestling, he knows jiu-jitsu, he knows how to hit,” Tsarukyan said on Monday. MMA hour. “I don't even know what he wants to do during the fight. Like him, he doesn't know what I'm going to do, whether to grapple or punch. If he's going to miss a punch, he They'll probably wrestle. If I miss a punch, I'll start wrestling, so it'll be like a scramble.
“So [I’m] I'm excited to fight and anyone who knows MMA will watch this fight. We are both complete MMA fighters. But my prediction is a 1st round TKO finish. ”
Tsarukyan has a track record to back up his words. The 27-year-old has an impressive 8-2 record in the UFC, with four of his past five wins coming by knockout. In December of this year, he took just 64 seconds to kill Benel Darish with an attack.
Oliveira also came off a one-round win over Darish, and his list of highlights rivals that of any fighter in UFC history. 'De Bronx' holds the record for most finishes in the UFC with 20 and won the lightweight title on an incredible 11-fight winning streak that ended with current champion Islam Makhachev.
Both fighters are eyeing a rematch with Makhachev (Makhachev defeated Tsarukyan by decision in his debut in April 2019), so Tsarukyan was not surprised when he was asked to pick up the win over Oliveira. .
“It's a dream fight,” Tsarukyan said. “[Oliveira] He was a champion. To me, it's like a fight for the belt, because he's the champion, he's defending the belt, and he's No. 1, especially this match. [for] “I was so excited and so happy that I couldn't sleep for several days after the news.”
“I was expecting Gaethje or Oliveira because I was in the top five, but I'm just one guy who's in the top five for the first time,” Tsarukian added. “They need a new face. So if I win, I'll definitely be the number one favorite to win. Me and Islam, I think everyone would like to see a rematch,” he said. Because it was a very close fight. It's not a rematch between Oliveira and Islam. Because Islam beat him easily, but he couldn't beat me easily. This is the Fight of the Night. It was, and the next match will probably be the same, but I'll be the winner.”
If Tsarukyan can crack Makhachev again, he hopes to become just the second fighter to defeat the unyielding champion, who currently stands at 25-1 in mixed martial arts. He believes Oliveira will be more successful than Oliveira, considering the latter was pretty decisively finished by Makhachev in the second round.
There are no guarantees in MMA, but Tsarukian trusts UFC CEO Dana White to make the right decision to defeat Oliveira.
“Arman Tsarukyan vs. Islam Makhachev, definitely,” Tsarukyan said. “If I win against Charles Oliveira, I will definitely become the number one candidate.
“This fight is a battle of competitors, Dana White said. The winner will be fighting Islam, me or Oliveira will be fighting Islam. Absolutely.”
