Arman Tsarukyan Joins Forces With Islam Makhachev’s Nemesis as Only Fighter to Finish UFC Champ Gets Involved Before UFC 311 Fight

During the recent UFC 311 presser, a reporter asked Arman Tsarukyan if he had any special plans for Islam Makhachev, given that he had lost in their first encounter. The Armenian star denied spilling about what he’s cooking up for his title fight. It seems like we may have an idea of one part of Tsarukyan’s game plan, which involves training with the only fighter who defeated the Dagestani native – Adriano Martins.

Yes, ‘Ahalkalakets’ is going full gear with his preparations for his 155lbs title shot by taking assistance from Adriano Martins, who boasts a 28-9 MMA record. The former UFC fighter shared an instance from his training session with the lightweight title contender, with a message on his Instagram.

Martins had a rather brief stint in the UFC from 2013 to 2017, and during that time, he never got close to title contention. However, his biggest moment came during his fight with Islam Makhachev, when he became the first and only person to not only defeat the remaining UFC lightweight phenom but also shut his lights out with a knockout.

“Lions walk with lions,” wrote Adriano Martins in his Instagram stories (translated from Portuguese). Well, it remains to be seen if his assistance turns out to be effective for Tsarukyan when he steps inside the Octagon against the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.

We’ve seen how dominant Makhachev has been inside the eight-sided cage for so many years. So, fans might wonder how he could lose to someone so easily. Well, there might be a possible reason behind Makhachev’s loss, and it could be that he didn’t stick to his original game plan.

The reason behind Islam Makhachev’s only MMA defeat

Although there are strikers here and there, the Dagestani camp always bases their MMA style on wrestling. That is of paramount importance. However, Islam Makhachev decided to test the waters and use his standup game to fight Adriano Martins, much to his former coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s displeasure. Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s father insisted on sticking to the plan, but Javier Mendez, the AKA head coach, suggested trading strikes against Martins.

Mendez had full confidence in Makhachev’s ability to stand up and fight and guess what? ‘The Eagle’s father agreed with that tactic, but he regretted that. “In my work, I think the biggest regret is that I agreed with Javier Mendez about exchanging punches in Islam’s fight,” Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov stated a few years ago during an event in Russia. “Islam came up to me and said, ‘I’ll exchange punches’. I said, “You can give me the first round at least. Don’t go in an exchange. He is very dangerous in the first round.”

Despite his former coach’s repeated warnings, Makhachev would get planted on the mat after a big right hand from Adriano Martins. What do you think? Would things have worked out differently if the now-champion listened to his coach? Let us know in the comments down below.