Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has given his two cents on the potential Ilia Topuria vs. Arman Tsarukyan fight, which may never materialize as ‘El Matador’ has no interest in the matchup.
Topuria has taken a break from fighting for personal reasons. On the other hand, Tsarukyan, who was denied a title shot, is keeping himself busy. He recently submitted Mehdi Baydulaev in their grappling match at ACBJJ 20 in Moscow and secured the promotion’s All-Star Title.
The 29-year-old will also face Shara Magomedov in another grappling match under the Hype FC banner on December 30. After that, ‘Ahalkalakets’ will face former two-time PFL Featherweight World Champion Lance Palmer in a freestyle wrestling match at the RAF 05 event on January 10.
Luke Rockhold will headline the aforementioned RAF 05 event alongside Colby Covington.
Luke Rockhold considers Arman Tsarukyan more well-rounded than Ilia Topuria
Recently, Rockhold, in an interview with Submission Radio, stated that he thinks Ilia Topuria’s wrestling and grappling are “good,” but Arman Tsarukyan’s skills are “elite.” He said:
“Arman is gonna be a problem for Ilia for sure. His wrestling is legit, his grappling is legit. We really get to see how good Ilia is on the ground in that space because Ilia is good, but Arman is elite.”
Check out Luke Rockhold’s comments about Arman Tsarukyan and Ilia Topuria below:
Luke Rockhold also questioned the UFC’s decision to choose Paddy Pimblett over Arman Tsarukyan for the UFC 324 interim title fight and added:
“I think they’re trying to do anything they can to put little Paddy into a title situation. I’m annoyed with fighters that think the interim title means anything. They’re doing anything they can to get Paddy the best matchups to be a champion and bring that love back to the UK. Arman’s a beast. Look what he’s doing in grappling right now and how he’s just destroying these guys. It’s not easy.”
Check out Luke Rockhold’s comments below: