Outside Source
Tsarukyan was recently asked to pick the winner of a potential fight between two of his favorite fighters – Nurmagomedov and Makhachev. Tsarukyan believes Makhachev would beat Nurmagomedov as he is more well-rounded. Tsarukyan also noted that Makhachev would have the added advantage of having Nurmagomedov in his corner.
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A Tough Call
“Islam. Because he is more well-rounded. And he has Khabib in his corner,” Tsarukyan said on Adin Ross’ stream.
Lifelong friends and teammates, Nurmagomedov (29-0) and Makhachev (28-1) are two of the greatest fighters to have ever graced the sport. Initially honed by Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, they both reached the pinnacle of the sport. Abdulmanap had correctly predicted that Makhachev would take over the UFC lightweight division after his son, Khabib’s retirement. Khabib retired as the undefeated UFC lightweight champion in 2020 after his father’s demise. Makhachev became the lightweight champion in 2022 and defended his title four times before moving up to welterweight, where he won the title against Jack Della Maddalena this past November.
Tsarukyan (23-3) lost a decision against Makhachev in his short-notice UFC debut in 2019. Tsarukyan subsequently went on to establish himself as the most deserving lightweight contender, earning a title shot in a rematch against Makhachev at UFC 311 last year. However, Tsarukyan pulled out a day before the fight due to an injury, which has cost him heavily. The UFC brass has since sidelined “Ahalkalakets” from the title picture, even after defeating Dan Hooker this past November.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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