Arman Tsarukyan opens up on Islam Makhachev’s words of encouragement after their first fight: "Don’t be upset"

Arman Tsarukyan revealed that Islam Makhachev provided him with encouraging words after they first fought in the UFC.

In April 2019, Tsarukyan and Makhachev were matched up at UFC on ESPN+ 7 for a bout between rising lightweight contenders. Makhachev emerged victorious by unanimous decision, but both fighters received a performance bonus and respect from fans for showcasing the Fight of the Night.

On January 18, Makhachev will defend his lightweight title in a rematch against Tsarukyan at the UFC 311 main event.

Tsarukyan recently created promotional content with Red Corner MMA for the upcoming rematch. During an interview, he had this to say about Makhachev's words of encouragement after they first fought at UFC on ESPN+ 7:

"Yes, of course I do. After the battle, he supported me and said, 'You're still young. Everything is ahead of you. Don't be upset.' And I was like, 'I'm not that young,' fell down, well, sat down and covered my eyes. Yes, I never liked losing, no matter how young I was."

Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan 2 will headline UFC 311 inside the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili looks to defend his bantamweight world title for the first time against Umar Nurmagomedov.

Watch Tsarukyan reveal Makhachev's words of encouragement below:

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Arman Tsarukyan has "one trick prepared" for rematch with Islam Makhachev

Arman Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev have respectively evolved drastically since they first fought in 2019. Heading into the highly-anticipated rematch, Tsarukyan has a "trick" he believes could lead to a win against Makahchev, which he teased while creating content with Red Corner MMA:

“Of course, I’ve got one trick prepared that I believe in. I know it will work and it will change the whole course of the fight.”

Islam Makhachev became the UFC lightweight champion with a second-round submission against Charles Oliveira in October 2022. Makhachev has since defended his throne against Alexander Volkanovski x2 and Dustin Poirier.

Meanwhile, Arman Tsarukyan is riding a four-fight winning streak against Damir Ismagulov, Joaquim Silva, Beneil Dariush, and Charles Oliveira.

Watch Tsarukyan tease a trick for UFC 311 starting at 2:53 below: