Arman Tsarukyan has claimed that he has built his legacy during his tenure in the UFC, and depending on the outcome of the UFC 311 main event, his focus will shift.
At UFC 311 on January 18, Arman Tsarukyan will finally get the chance to avenge his 2019 loss to Islam Makhachev when the two meet in the main event for the lightweight title.
When the two first met at UFC Russia, Tsarukyan answered a late call to make his UFC debut with just a few weeks' notice. Even to the point where he was losing weight during his wedding because of the fight.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Arman Tsarukyan claims he's done with 'legacy fights' after UFC 311
Ahead of the biggest fight of his career to date, 'Ahalkalakets' has claimed that he has built his legacy during his UFC tenure so far and that his main event against Makhachev could be the culmination of that.
The 28-year-old has suffered just two losses in his 11 fights in the UFC, one of which was a controversial loss to Mateusz Gamrot. During that time, the Armenian has picked up wins over some big names in the division, including Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush.
Tsarukyan has stated that if he beats Makhachev at UFC 311, he will be “done with the sport” and will only fight in big-money fights as he believes his legacy will be complete.
This comes after he recently admitted that he has not been 100% committed to MMA throughout his career and he will show on Saturday night whether a fighter who is not 100% committed can win the title.
“My goal is to get the title and from there I'm just going to think about business because what I wanted is to become world champion now,” Tsarukyan said on the Pound 4 Pound Podcast.
“I'm only focusing on Islam and if I win the title (I'm done with) the sport, I'm just going to do business (fight) and I'm going to choose (fight) who the UFC will pay me more, I'm going to fight ,” he continued.
The lightweight division is one of the most competitive divisions in the sport, so whatever fight comes up for Tsarukyan, whether he's champion or not, it would likely be a “big money fight.”
“It will be business things, not just sports. Right now it's a legacy to be a champion after that, and then business-wise, after this fight if I'm a champion, all I'm going to think about is money,” he admitted.
Arman Tsarukyan wants a rematch against Charles Oliveira next
Last April, the 28-year-old 'Do Bronx' defeated Oliveira at the blockbuster UFC 300 event, but unfortunately some fans believe this was a controversial decision.
With that, he earned his fourth win in a row and earned the lightweight title shot. The Armenian has admitted that if he dethrones the Russian on Saturday night, he will want a rematch against the Brazilian in what would certainly be a big-money fight.
“After I win the title, I would like to fight Oliveira. This is the only man who deserves to fight for the title and he is the most dangerous man.
“I feel like now it's me, Islam and Oliveira, the three of us are the best fighters right now… People are saying it was a close fight and this and that, I just want to crush him,” he said. .
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