Arman Tsarukyan makes hilarious admission about UFC career ahead of rematch with Islam Makhachev: "Get on my Instagram verification"

Arman Tsarukyan had modest expectations from his professional MMA career before joining the UFC. The 28-year-old recently admitted that he didn't fully understand his own potential until relatively late in his pre-UFC journey.

Tsarukyan is scheduled to challenge lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January 2025. Reflecting on his early career during a recent interview with Brett Okamoto from ESPN MMA, the Armenian fighter said:

"So, when I was 19 years old, I already had three or four fights. I told my friend that I just wanted to get to the UFC, get on my Instagram verification, the uniform from the UFC and that's it. I don't want anything else from this sport."

He added:

"Then I [kept] winning the fights and people started [telling] me, 'You're, like, a good fighter and you an get into the UFC. Even my manager told me so. I started to believe in myself, trained hard and [kept] winning fights and I got into the UFC!"

Check out Arman Tsarukyan's comments below (2:08):

Fast forward to December 2024, Tsarukyan is the top-ranked UFC lightweight contender. He has notable victories over prominent fighters such as Beneil Dariush and former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira.

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Arman Tsarukyan says he will have an advantage if Islam Makhachev battle turns into a "dog fight"

Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and his team are known for making MMA their top priority in life. In contrast, Arman Tsarukyan is recognized for his more relaxed attitude.

In the aforementioned interview with ESPN MMA, Tsarukyan admitted that his opponent's dedication to the sport adds an extra level of challenge for him. That said, he feels that the difference in approach could work to his advantage if their rematch turns into a grueling battle. Tsarukyan explained:

"No. For me, it's better because I'm doing this for fun and I don't have pressure on me. I'm just doing my favorite thing... [I'm doing] what I like to do, yeah! But [Islam] has the title, he has a big team, he has a lot of people who helped him. So, I'm a little bit different. If I lose, nobody's going to say anything, but [if he loses], he's going to lose everything." [7:57]

In Tsarukyan's short-notice UFC debut, he gave Islam Makhachev a run for the money. Although the Armenian lost by unanimous decision, the competitive performance made him a hot prospect in the promotion. Heading into the rematch, Tsarukyan is a +215 underdog while Makhachev is a -255 favorite.