Arman Tsarukyan promises KO win over Islam Makhachev in title rematch after brutal UFC Austin Win
Arman Tsarukyan sent a message to reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev following his stunning 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin.
Going into his contest with Dariush, ‘Ahalkalakets’ was sitting as the No. 8 ranked lightweight in the world. Come Monday, he’ll see himself in the top five, moving him significantly closer to a potential rematch with Makhachev.
Following his first-round destruction of Dariush in The Lone Star State, Arman Tsarukyan sent a message to the ‘Dagestani Destroyer,’ letting him know that their inevitable title tilt won’t end the same way as their first meeting.
“I was 22 years old [when I first fought Makhachev],” Tsarukyan said. “Now I’m 27. I got improved. The next fight is going to be a different one. I’m going to knock him out.”
Arman Tsarukyan Could Be waiting a While for his lightweight title opportunity
Meeting for the first time in April 2019, Makhachev earned a decisive unanimous decision victory over Tsarukyan.
Makhachev is currently on a 13-fight win streak which includes his world title-winning performance against Charles Oliveira last year and back-to-back defenses against featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
Tsarukyan has now won eight of his last nine and could very well be one big win away from a long-awaited title opportunity.
Unfortunately, even with his big win over Dariush, Tsarukyan could still find himself waiting in line for quite a while with both ‘Do Bronx’ and Justin Gaethje currently awaiting their shot at the 155-pound crown.
