“How can a poisoned person fight for 15 minutes? Tsarukyan – about Makhachev, expensive cars and hockey

Arman Tsarukyan suddenly broke into the UFC as the league searched for a replacement for a retired opponent Islam Makhacheva in April 2019. From that point on, Makhachev became the champion and Tsarukyan had eight fights in the UFC, losing to Mateusz Gamrot by a controversial decision. Now the Russian, who competes in the UFC for Armenia, fights against Beneil Dariush, and this is the main fight of the tournament in Austin and a very good test for both. Arman is 27 years old, he has 20 wins, 3 losses and is 8th in the lightweight rankings. Dariush, 34, has 22 wins, 5 losses and 1 draw and is in fourth place in the top 15 lightweights.

— Your opponent Beneil Dariush made his MMA debut in November 2009. What were you doing at that time?

— I was 13-14 years old. I ran with a stick on a box in winter. Without skates and in the snow, but with a puck and a stick. Well, I mean, I was already playing hockey at that time, but it remained as a memory.

— You played hockey when you were young, do you remember the last time you kicked the puck?

— Probably about a year ago, in Moscow, they invited me to play. The head remembers, but the legs and arms no longer do the work I did in my time. And in the winter, I went ice skating in San Diego. Besides, my legs remember it well, but with a stick it’s already harder.

— You played hockey when you were a teenager, and now you are 27 years old and have had over 20 MMA fights. When do you think you had the best click?

“I think the clicks have gotten worse now.”

— In the last fight with Joaquim Silva, you hit the body several times with your front leg, but in the end you won by finishing him on the ground. Are you more likely to be satisfied or dissatisfied with the effectiveness of your kicks?

— Silva is strong and I didn’t hit him the way I was supposed to hit him. Usually when you punch, you directly feel the moment when you hit hard. I hit him there once or twice, and I guess that got him hooked by the second or third round. When I transferred him, he was already soft.

— In the second round, you survived a knockdown. Describe your feelings.

“I relaxed and thought it was an easy fight, but he did it well. I rewatched this moment a thousand times, I threw a left-left-right, and anyone could have missed such a shot, I didn’t make an unreal mistake: he was preparing this shot. I hit with my right hand, I was advised to dive, but I stayed in range and missed.

— How quickly did you recover?

— Five seconds have passed, no more. I was led away and started to fight.

— Beneil Dariush is an American citizen, but it’s hard to remember his brilliant interviews or anything that might attract fans to him. Do you think more people could support you in Texas?

“I think people will support me more than him.” Since I’m younger and people pay more attention to me, believe that I’m the future of this division and want to see if I live up to their expectations or not.

— Do you think Dariush is doing everything wrong to be remembered by fans?

– Yes, he doesn’t need it, he’s an adult, he does business, earns money. He’s not interested. He’s just a good fighter who doesn’t think about the media, doesn’t pay attention to it. He’s just practicing.

— Do English-speaking fans often come to take photos?

– They arrive. Not much, but they fit. Those who follow this sport know me. And for those who don’t know the UFC, not yet. An ordinary cowboy won’t come and say, “Oh, it’s you, Armand.” »

– What are the chances that if you win, you will say from the octagon: “Islam Makhachev, it’s time for us to have a revenge”?

– There are such chances. It depends on how I fight this fight, how I win. And what mood will I be in?

— For four and a half years since your fight, journalists have constantly questioned you about it. Have you ever called or texted each other and someone suggested they not mention you at all?

– No, that didn’t happen.

— You led a very good fight against Islam in 2019. You were 22 years old at the time and you left at short notice. But Islam also said he was poisoned before this fight and was not in ideal shape. Do you agree that you were not in the best shape, but Islam was not in the best shape?

– How can a poisoned person fight for 15 minutes? Fight for 15 minutes? Have you ever been poisoned in your life? I don’t know… when I have poisoning, I don’t leave the room, because every five minutes I feel drawn to a place. But maybe he was poisoned, which means he can fight in such conditions. I am not Vanga.

— Islam wants to move to the category up to 77 kg. Do you see yourself at this weight?

– No, certainly not at 77 years old, I see myself more in the weight category up to 66 kg. But my doctor says he won’t work with me if I decide to go.

– Can you do this weight?

– I would have done it, but I died. I rather say that my anthropometry is not adapted to 77 kg. But Islam does.

— Not so long ago, your first coach Sergei Torosyan explained live on social networks why you no longer train in his gym in Krasnodar. The video was cut separately and signed “The FIRST TRAINER of Arman Tsarukyan explained the fighter’s departure from the club! » Sergei then laughed about it and said that you two have a great relationship, even though you don’t train together. Have you seen this video?

– No I have not seen it. On my YouTube, nothing is posted about fights, everything is about cars, there are a lot of bloggers who talk about business, politics, how to realize yourself in this world.

— After the December fight, you were photographed next to many hamburgers. At the same time, you said earlier that you carefully monitor your diet. How many burgers can you eat to celebrate your victory?

— Actually, I’m not a fan of burgers and everything related to them. We just gathered after the battle, the restaurants were all closed, it was midnight, it was also too late to buy meat and cook. So we bought food for the whole team, but I took a photo like it was all for me. I ate two burgers at most and was full. After the fight, you can’t eat much anymore, you’ve been on a diet for two months, your stomach has shrunk to its limit. One burger was enough for me, but I stuffed myself with the second one.

— Judging by the photos on social media, you’ve driven almost every popular supercar, but what did you like most about being behind the wheel?

— BMW M-5 Competition, if you take everything together. It’s smooth, fast and the seats are comfortable. I have driven all the cars, but overall this one is of course very good. I have now sold mine to Russia and am waiting for the new body to come out in 2024. It looks like it will still be a hybrid. “Buns” which, now… I don’t like, they’re too soft.

Next weekend, will broadcast the UFC tournament, in the main fight of which Armenian Arman Tsarukyan and American Beneil Dariush will meet. The broadcast begins on Sunday evening at 03:00 (Moscow time).