"I coughed up blood for two weeks" - Arman Tsarukyan says Islam Makhachev's knockout loss to Adriano Martins was no "lucky punch"

Ahead of their much-awaited rematch at UFC 311 on Jan. 18, Arman Tsarukyan has hailed the only fighter who's defeated Islam Makhachev in the sport of MMA thus far. 'Akhalkalakets' praised Adriano Martins and suggested that Martins' win over Makhachev wasn't simply due to a lucky punch.

Martins is a 42-year-old veteran who has competed in various MMA organizations, including the UFC, Strikeforce, DREAM and Fight Nights Global. He famously defeated Makhachev with a right hook and a follow-up ground strike, stopping the grappling wizard via first-round KO in their lightweight bout at UFC 192 in October 2015.

Islam Makhachev (26-1 MMA) hasn't lost since and is currently on a 14-fight win streak. Meanwhile, Martins competed two more times in the UFC, losing both fights. He went on to compete in other MMA organizations and has a record of one win, five losses and one NC (No Contest) after the Makhachev bout.

During a recent Russian-language interview with Ushatayka, Arman Tsarukyan was asked whether he'd learned the right hook from Martins and practiced it. Tsarukyan replied: [*translation courtesy: @ParamPam1990 on X]:

"Well, I'll tell you one thing -- he packs crazy power on his punch ... And with Islam, it wasn't just a lucky punch as people say. He hit me twice in sparring like nobody ever hit me before ... Once after he hit me, my eye was swollen like a blue apple. And I coughed up blood for two weeks after our sparring."

When asked if it was Martins' power that made his punches so dangerous, Tsarukyan replied:

"It's his nature. He just has a crazy punch; a gift from nature. He hits very hard."

Check out Tsarukyan's comments below:

Watch the full interview below:

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Islam Makhachev attributed KO loss against Adriano Martins to a "lucky punch"

Islam Makhachev spoke to AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) teammate, MMA great Daniel Cormier, on 'DC's' YouTube channel in 2021. Cormier questioned Makhachev about his evolution and his impressive winning streak after losing to Adriano Martins. Makhachev replied by explaining that before the defeat, he viewed himself as invincible.

Islam Makhachev, who's earned high praise for considerably improving his striking since that loss, further implied that the margin of error is minuscule with the small gloves in MMA. Furthermore, he appeared to jibe at Martins, pointing out that the Brazilian fighter has since suffered several defeats. Seemingly attributing his own defeat to a lucky punch, Makhachev said:

"That's why I'm changing a lot after this fight. But this is lucky punch 100 percent."

Watch Islam Makhachev's assessment below (6:40):