UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria dismissed the idea that fellow contender Arman Tsarukyan would represent his toughest test inside the Octagon during a recent appearance on a stream with Adin Ross.
When asked whether Tsarukyan could be his most difficult challenge to date, the reigning 155-pound titleholder was unequivocal.
“My toughest challenge? There’s no way. I already had my toughest challenges,” Topuria said. “What I think about is he lost to Islam (Makhachev). He lost to (Mateusz) Gamrot. He got knocked out in the beginning of his career. And he doesn’t really have the ability to finish the fights.”
“El Matador” referenced Tsarukyan’s prior defeats as evidence that the challenger has already shown his ceiling against elite competition. He also criticized his finishing instincts, arguing that many of his stoppages come only after opponents have faded.
“He only finishes the fights when his opponent gets tired,” Topuria said. “And he just goes on the ground and he does the ground and pound and all that. But if he faced someone who really has that preparation, has that cardio, who doesn’t get scared if he gets to the ground? Arman? Easy. Easy because he will panic.”
According to the champion, the difference lies not just in skill but in composure under duress. Topuria suggested that against a well-conditioned, mentally resilient opponent, Amran would struggle to impose his grappling-heavy approach.
“With me, he will panic,” Topuria added.
Beyond technical analysis, Topuria emphasized his own mindset as a defining factor. He described the grueling nature of his training camps and the psychological threshold required to succeed at the championship level.
“When I’m in training camp, I know how it feels when you feel pain. I know how it feels when you feel tired. I know how it feels when you feel like you can’t do more. And you keep doing it,” he said. “There’s no situation that I’m going to give up.
“When I walk inside the Octagon, my opponent should know that they’re going to have a badass motherf***er in front who doesn’t know how to give up,” he said. “That’s never going to happen. So you’re going to have to kill me. And you know what? I love my life. And I’m not ready to die.”
