27-year-old Arman Tsarukyan is one of the growing names in the lightweight division. He is fresh off a victory at UFC 300 against Charles Oliveira. After his emphatic UFC 300 victory, the Armenian fighter was offered a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. However, much to the surprise of many, Tsarukyan denied the opportunity because of a lack of preparation time; less than two months to be precise, with UFC 302 scheduled on June 01.

However, this was not the first time when Tsarukyan had ducked the challenge of the Dagestani. According to the current champion Makhachev, he had denied him 3-4 times, but that is not exactly the case, as revealed by Tsarukyan himself.

Arman Tsarukyan denies Islam Makhachev’s claims in a recent interview

It was the year 2019 when Tsarukyan first fought the current lightweight champion Makhachev. The Armenian lost the fight via decision but managed to impress one and all with his performance. Since then the 27-year-old has improved drastically and is on the verge of a title shot soon. Following the lightweight kingpin’s statements about Tsarukyan turning him down on many occasions, the #1 in the UFC lightweight rankings finally cleared the air.

In an interaction with New York Post Sports, Arman Tsarukyan revealed, “It was one time. I had a fight with Joel Alvarez and( Beneil) Dariush pulled out and they were looking for someone. So I was there and ( they asked) you wanna fight with Islam. One week like I am in fight week.”

He further clarified the details by adding, “I said why I gotta fight with him if I have a fight this week and Islam, he is a South paw and my fighter is orthodox. They are like completely different fighter. What do you want from me? No, we are gonna pay with money this that. I said I’m not ready for this guy because my whole training camp was an orthodox guy and he is a South paw. It’s like completely different. Of course, it’s like my opponent, like he is a South paw as well. And it makes sense to fight with him. It was the first time and the second time it was this time that’s it.”

While the 27-year-old may have proved Makhachev wrong, it now seems that coach Javier Mendez finally agrees to the decision made by the Armenian. According to him, facing an opponent like Islam does require preparation and planning. “From people that I know with him, they said that, yeah, he’s just said he wouldn’t be ready for that type of fight just yet. You know, he might have more time to prepare. And you know what? That’s the right call from him. It’s like, he’s in the driver’s seat, also, so why would he risk his chance?” Mendez told Submission Radio.

Meanwhile, the Dagestani camp has moved past Tsarukyan as they are currently focusing on the upcoming opponent Dustin Poirier. However, the 32-year-old is also planning a move to the welterweight division as revealed by coach Mendez in a recent interview.

Islam Makhachev is eyeing the welterweight title next reveals coach Mendez

It seems that the 32-year-old lightweight champion is done with the division. He is now eyeing the welterweight division as revealed by his coach. In a recent interview with Denis Shkuratov, the legendary coach shared the future details of his favorite student. According to the legendary coach, Makhachev will look to make a change to a new division if UFC provides him the chance. On being asked whom the Dagestani would like to face, Mendez made it clear that there are no particular preferences but is ready to take on anyone.

He said, “But I’m assuming whatever the UFC offers Islam, he’s going to take when he’s ready to fight. No matter when he’s willing to fight, no matter who he’s willing to fight, because I don’t think Islam is gonna have a preference of who he fights. It’s gonna be a when they want him to fight if he can fight during those times.”

Makhachev is currently on a fantastic winning streak and will look to keep his winning momentum going at UFC 302. However, he will be up against ‘The Diamond’ who is fresh off a victory at UFC 299. Looking at the fighting style of both fighters, the fans can hope for a blockbuster fight. Can Islam Makhachev win his fight at UFC 302 next? Let us know your views in the comments below.