Arman Tsarukyan believes Islam Makhachev could face tougher challenges at welterweight following his victory over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday, Tsarukyan assessed Makhachev's performance and suggested the former UFC lightweight champion did not look quite as sharp as he has in previous fights.
“This fight Islam he didn't look (as) good that he (did) before,” Tsarukyan said.
Tsarukyan pointed to a possible injury or the physical demands of Garry's defensive style as reasons for Makhachev's struggles during the fight.
“I think maybe (when) he missed that high kick or he hurt his nose…something happened and Ian Garry was defending very well against the cage,” Tsarukyan said. “He didn't let him to be on the top, you know? He always stand up and is always, like, hard to carry, you know? The fighter who knows how to defend so good. That's why he got tired.”
Makhachev moved up to welterweight for the matchup with Garry, adding another division to his championship ambitions after establishing himself as one of the UFC's elite lightweights.
Helwani then asked Tsarukyan whether Makhachev could encounter significant problems against some of the bigger welterweights, specifically naming Michael Morales, Carlos Prates and Shavkat Rakhmonov.
“Morales, maybe, yes,” Tsarukyan said. “But still, I don't know right now who can beat Islam.”
Despite acknowledging that Morales could present a difficult matchup, Tsarukyan stopped short of predicting that any of the current welterweights could defeat Makhachev.
When asked who could have beaten Makhachev at his peak, Tsarukyan pointed to former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
“Yeah, only maybe prime (Kamaru) Usman, but he's gone, he's in 84 kg (middleweight),” Tsarukyan said.
