{"id":624125,"date":"2025-08-25T14:49:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T13:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=624125"},"modified":"2025-08-25T14:49:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T13:49:04","slug":"islam-makhachev-endorses-arman-tsarukyan-as-next-challenger-believes-a-good-game-plan-can-land-him-the-lightweight-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/islam-makhachev-endorses-arman-tsarukyan-as-next-challenger-believes-a-good-game-plan-can-land-him-the-lightweight-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Islam Makhachev Endorses Arman Tsarukyan As Next Challenger, Believes A Good Game Plan Can Land Him The Lightweight Title!\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Islam Makhachev knows what it takes to reach the top of the brutal UFC lightweight division. He scratched and clawed his way through years of tough fights before finally claiming the throne that Khabib Nurmagomedov once sat. Now the former champion is doing something pretty rare in MMA: backing a potential challenger.<\/p>

Arman Tsarukyan finds himself in a weird spot right now. The Armenian-born fighter has proven he belongs with the elite, but politics and timing keep getting in his way. He was supposed to fight for the title earlier this year but had to pull out due to weight cutting issues. That move didn’t win him any fans, especially from current featherweight king Ilia Topuria, who seems less than thrilled about facing him. But Makhachev sees something different in Arman, the kind of potential that could shake up both divisions.<\/p>

Why Islam Makhachev Thinks Arman Tsarukyan Deserves His Shot<\/h2>

Makhachev’s logic makes perfect sense. In the UFC<\/a>, being a backup fighter usually leads to big opportunities. Arman stepped up as the backup for a title fight and made weight successfully. That alone should earn him some credit in Islam’s book. <\/p>

“Whenever someone is a backup for a [title] fight. He almost always fights for the belt next…Arman was the backup and made weight. I think he should be next. He proved himself. He had a problem with cutting weight, but he proved that he can go down and cut weight. I think this is the fight that makes the most sense,”<\/em><\/strong> said Makhachev at the Eagle FC press conference.<\/p>

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A post shared by RED CORNER MMA (@redcorner.mma)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>