Chael Sonnen thinks Arman Tsarukyan is the No. 1 contender after all.
Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) pulled out of his light-weight title bout against Islam Makhachev just one day before UFC 311 in January, ensuing in Dana White saying that he had to earn his means back to a shot.
UFC light-weight champion Ilia Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) lately claimed that he’d vacate his belt before defending it against Tsarukyan, and sees either Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett as first title protection. However, despite all those stipulations, Sonnen says he’s listening to otherwise.
“Outside of illness or injury, even if I’m breaking news to you, I’m not sharing my opinion. I’m sharing a fact with you: It’s Arman vs. Ilia,” Sonnen instructed MMA Junkie. “That is 100 percent the plan.”
Sonnen defined where he came up with his principle.
“There’s a couple things (that have changed for Tsarukyan),” Sonnen said. “I’m obviously coming to you with information, whether I should have or shouldn’t have. Secondly, I was the best man at his wedding and his name is Darryl Christian and he’s the wrestling coach of Arman Tsarukyan. Third of all, I just spoke to coach (Sam Calavitta) who wanted to film Chimaev training, and it turned out Tsarukyan is in the room. And a bigger tell also is what Ilia did a week ago, which he said, ‘I don’t want the fight.’ The greats, they don’t even know they have it. … Ilia’s first move for doing a fight is to deny the fight. The only person that he said he’ll openly fight is Paddy.
“Everybody else that he’s preparing to struggle, he denies. It’s just his method. Anderson (Silva) had one. He would always deny the struggle and he would let that run for about two weeks. He would then settle for the struggle. He would let that run for about a month then he would slip an damage report to the media where you think the struggle is off and it’s not going to occur. He would go and get his run out of that and would inform everybody, ‘I’m advantageous, it’s on.’ I’m only sharing. That was his system – 100% of his fights, he constructed the same means. Ilia’s not any totally different, whether he knows about it or not. Ilia’s first transfer when he’s going to struggle a man, apart from Paddy, is to say to, ‘I’m not going to struggle the man.'”
Tsarukyan weighed in as the official backup for the vacant lightweight title fight between Topuria and Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June, but his services weren’t needed. Tsarukyan hasn’t competed since defeating Oliveira at UFC 300 last April.
“(Tsarukyan) got put through a purgatory and he had to get out of it, but he did,” Sonnen said. “When he confirmed up, got licensed, weighed in, went through a coaching camp and he has to sit in the first row and even watch Paddy ‘The Baddy’ get in the ring and get the consideration and not him, I’m just saying, there is an appreciation, traditionally, that has shined down – and it’s also going to be proven to him.”
Like many pundits, Sonnen agrees that Tsarukyan is Topuria’s sternest test on paper – but still sees “El Matador” being the favourite.
“Matchup-wise, the hardest matchup for Ilia is Arman Tsarukyan. … I think that the world would lean toward Topuria proper now,” Sonnen said. “He’s just the taste. He’s sizzling. He’s undefeated and he’s the champion of the world. (He) should be two-division champion, BMF champion, lineal-wise. But if Tsarukyan gets his hand on you, you’ve got a downside.”
To hear more from Sonnen, check out his complete appearance on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.
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