Tsarukyan decided there was no reason to rush into a short notice title shot, opening the door for “The Diamond” to shine.
Dustin Poirier really did get a UFC 302 title shot against Islam Makhachev because no one else was willing to take it.
During the UFC 300 post-fight press conference, Dana White was given a scrap of paper with two breaking news announcements: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler was finally official for UFC 303, and Makhachev would defend his 155 pound belt against Poirier at UFC 302.
Islam vs. Dustin has been percolating since “Diamond” beat Benoit Saint-Denis in a gritty war back at UFC 299. Some argued that Poirier wasn’t deserving, considering his 2-1 record since losing his last title shot to Charles Oliveira in 2021. But others, Makhachev included, noted that Poirier was the best contender available for the date.
All the other top lightweights — Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Arman Tsarukyan — were fighting at UFC 300, and it was unlikely that they’d be willing to turn around in time for UFC 302 on June 1st. But we’ll give the UFC credit: they waited until after the event to give them the option.
In a new interview with Vadim Tikhomirov, Arman Tsarukyan’s manager Sayat Abdurakhmanov revealed that they’d been approached by UFC with an offer to fight Islam Makhachev in New Jersey.
“The fight with Islam [Makhachev] on June 1st was offered to us,” Abdurakhmanov said. “This happened immediately after the fight [with Charles Oliveira].”
Tsarukyan won a hard-fought split decision over Oliveira, and while he didn’t seem too banged up, he wasn’t interested in rushing a title fight.
You heard the man! New Jersey June 1st pic.twitter.com/FUfnrkcS6S
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) April 14, 2024
“Before the fight there was an understanding that there was no point in going into a title fight with Islam on short notice, especially if the position of No. 1 contender had already been achieved. And there was an understanding that now Islam and Poirier would fight on June 1st, and then Arman would fight the winner.”
And with that, Dustin Poirier became not Mr. Right, but Mr. Right Now.
As for Arman Tsarukyan, he better hope his dibs on next works out better than it did for Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje. As Max Holloway noted, you can spend a whole lot of time waiting around for your turn and end up nowhere, fast.
Ilia Topuria | Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Ilia Topuria is ready to grant Max Holloway his wish.
Following his all-time great knockout win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 on Saturday, Holloway followed up on his plans to call for a fight with featherweight champion Topuria. Throughout fight week, Holloway made a point to mention that Topuria made it to the top of the 145-pound ladder without having to fight him, and now he feels the time is right for Topuria to have to face that test.
To Topuria’s credit, he has agreed to the suggestion, but not without a warning for Holloway.
Ilia Topuria: “Its clear for me, my next fight is against Max Holloway, congratulations and enjoy tonight, but after fighting me he will have to go back in the line”
Via @ESPNDeportes https://t.co/m5cjiGbCQu pic.twitter.com/dYH4ZJLacw
— Carlos Contreras Legaspi (@CCLegaspi) April 14, 2024
“It’s clear for me, my next fight is against Max Holloway,” Topuria said (Spanish translation via ESPN’s Carlos Contreras Legaspi). “Congratulations and enjoy tonight, but after fighting me he will have to go back in the line.”
Topuria has yet to be defeated in his pro fighting career, which includes a 7-0 mark in the UFC. After dispatching of contenders Josh Emmett and Bryce Mitchell, Topuria took advantage of a title shot opportunity and finished champion Alexander Volkanovski via strikes in Round 2 at UFC 298. In doing so, he became the first man ever to defeat Volkanovski in a 145-pound bout.
Holloway fell short in three title bouts against “The Great,” but feels he’s done enough to challenge Topuria for the chance to become featherweight champion once more.
“That’s cool,” Holloway said at the evening’s post-fight presser when told of Topuria’s response. “What am I going to say? What if he goes to the back of the line? So at the end of the day, we find out. Like I said, we’ve got questions.
“We’re in the fighting game. Ilia can talk, but I’ve got a lot of questions. I like listening and if that ever gets booked, you guys are going to see a lot of answers. So I’m excited for it.”
Topuria was seated near cageside, so he had a perfect view of the thrilling finish to Saturday’s “BMF” title fight. His reaction was caught on video and depending on how you interpret it, Topuria was either unmoved by the finale or too stunned to react.
Whatever questions Holloway has about Topuria, he knows there’s only one way to get them sorted.
“Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, he’s like whatever,’ but I don’t know the dude,” Holloway said of Topuria’s reaction. “You don’t know if he’s socially awkward or something, so maybe that’s just what he is. Fair play to him, I don’t know how animated or whatever he is, so I ain’t going to take it.
“This guy is a world champion, he’s a killer, but like I said all fight week, we’ve got questions. There’s a lot of questions about the guy and I want to figure that out.”
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