At UFC 300 on April 13th, Arman Tsarukyan will face Charles Oliveira in a No. 1 contender's bout, but American Top Team coach Marcos Damatta says the former champion is Tsarukyan's favorite over UFC champion Islam Makhachev. I see this as a more complex challenge.
Damatta began coaching top-ranked lightweight Tsarukyan just a few months after his loss. fight of the night He suddenly decided on Makhachev in 2019 and explained it to MMA Fighting. Trocassant Franca Podcast on why “De Bronx” is “more dangerous” than Makhachev.
“Look at his record, how many decision wins does Charles have? Two, maybe three?” Damatta said. “This guy is a finisher. He knocks people out, he brings people to their knees. He's a very dangerous guy. How many finishes does Islam have? And go back and see how the fight went. please.”
Damatta earned his black belt under legendary grappler Carlson Gracie and coaches some of the best players in the world at American Top Team in Florida. He rates Oliveira as the best submission artist in UFC history, ahead of the likes of Royce Gracie and Demian Maia. Additionally, he is a fan of Oliveira, who he says is a “great human being.”
But on April 13, Damatta will do his best to help Tsarukyan challenge for the 155-pound belt.
“Arman, he did what he did.” [Beneil] Darish devastating knockout against number 4 [lightweight] Therefore, he has earned the right to fight Charles as the No. 1 candidate,” Damatta said. “Do you think that's fair for Charles? I don't. I think Charles has defeated everyone and earned the right to go for the belt. Actually, I wasn't expecting this. I don't think so. Charles and Armand vs. [Justin] Gaethje and the winner face off. But they shuffled everything and now it's Armand and Charles and the winner will fight Islam. ”
Tsarukyan has won eight of nine fights since the setback against Makhachev, including stoppages against Joaquin Silva, Christos Giagos and Joel Alvarez. Oliveira's only blemish in his 13 UFC appearances since 2017 was also a title loss to Makhachev.
“It's a very tough fight for Armand,” Damatta said. “I know Armand is a mountain to climb, but I also see some problems that Armand could pose for Charles. I don't think it's going to be an easy fight for Charles either. Charles is a magician who can pull a rabbit out of a hat, but it's very dangerous. To be honest, I think it's a more dangerous fight for Armand than Islam. I'm not saying that because I'm Brazilian. You know me, I'll tell you the truth. It's going to be a very tough fight, but we're going to work on Charles' weaknesses the same way. [Chute Boxe coach] Diego Lima and Charles will work on Armand's work. ”
Damatta believes Tsarukyan has a chance if he rematches Makhachev for UFC gold, and believes his protégé is a better version of the fighter who faced Makhachev in 2019.
“[Tsarukyan] He was 22 years old and had only been wrestling before fighting Islam on 13 days' notice. And that is fight of the night” Damatta said. “He was the first one to collapse Islam. Six years later, look at his performance since then. He has grown so much and learned so much in striking and jiu-jitsu. I see you putting up a hard fight against the Church. Now, Charles is a very dangerous opponent and we must be very cautious for 15 minutes.”
