New Zealand UFC fighter Dan Hooker believes the promotion’s lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will not play the return match with Arman Tsarukyan .
At the UFC tournament in Austin on December 2, Tsarukyan knocked out Beneil Dariush in the second minute, whom Makhachev could have met before. Makhachev currently holds the championship belt, having made two defenses in 2023 against Alex Volkanovski. Tsarukyan lost to Makhachev in his UFC debut in 2019, but went on to win eight out of nine fights. Brazilian Charles Oliveira (first place in the lightweight rankings), whom the Russian beat ahead of schedule in October 2022, is considered Makhachev’s next opponent.
UFC head Dana White previously said that a fight between Makhachev and Tsarukyan would be interesting.
— Makhachev will not fight Tsarukyan. I guarantee he will retire the moment Tsarukyan gets a title shot. It’s too risky. There are many much simpler fights. No one will buy a paid broadcast of the Tsarukyan fight. Instead, you’d rather watch Islam fight with (Conor) McGregor, (Justin) Gaethje or something similar,” Hooker was quoted as saying. MMA fights .
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Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
