UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria wants Arman Tsarukyan next, should he get past Justin Gaethje next month at UFC Freedom 250.
Topuria looks to unify the lightweight belt against the interim champ Gaethje in the main event of the UFC White House event on June 14 in Washington, D.C. Should Topuria be successful in that bout, then he wants to face Tsarukyan, the No. 2 contender in the UFC lightweight division, next.
Ilia Topuria Wants Arman Tsarukyan Next
According to Carlos Legaspi of ESPN Deportes, who recently interviewed Topuria, his understanding is that the champ wants to face Tsarukyan in his next title defense should he unify his title against Gaethje. Topuria still wants to fight UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, but his eyes are set on facing Tsarukyan before that happens.
“He really wants to fight Arman. If there’s one title defense, he’ll want it to be against Arman next. At that point, it would be undeniable. I think if Ilia wins, Arman Tsarukyan will be the next title defense and then we’ll see what happens after that. Because there’s also the ambition of fighting Islam,” Legaspi said (via Championship Rounds).
It is worth noting that Tsarukyan is the official backup for the upcoming UFC lightweight title bout between Topuria and Gaethje, meaning if anything happens to either of those two fighters, then Tsarukyan will be the fighter who steps in to fight for the belt. He will also weigh in at UFC Freedom 250 and be available just in case anything happens to either Topuria or Gaethje on weigh-in day or on fight day. Knock on wood, nothing happens to either of these fighters, and we get to see this lightweight title unification bout. But if something does happen, Tsarukyan will be the one who steps in to fight.
Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje Betting Odds
According to the latest betting odds, Topuria is a massive betting favorite over Gaethje. He’s a -700 favorite, with Gaethje as a +500 underdog, so there aren’t many bettors who are giving Gaethje a chance to win this fight.
Given that Topuria is one of the most impressive pound-for-pound fighters in MMA today, it makes sense that he is the favorite, especially since he is so well-rounded, dangerous, and has few weaknesses. But Gaethje is a UFC legend in his own right, and he’s someone who has pulled off many upsets during his career. This would be an upset on another level, but still, Gaethje is someone who is going to go in there and fight and give it all that he has.
The odds are that Topuria wins this fight, and if that happens, then Tsarukyan should be next, hopefully before 2026 is up. Should Topuria beat Tsarukyan, at that point, moving up to welterweight to fight Makhachev and try to win a third UFC title makes sense. But for now, Topuria has his eyes set on Gaethje, and he has to stay focused because in this sport, you can’t take anyone or any fight for granted.
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