Islam Makhachev believes he will score a finish over Arman Tsarukyan in their scheduled rematch.
Makhachev is set to put his lightweight gold at stake against Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC 311 inside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The title clash will be held on January 18th.
In their first meeting back in 2019, Makhachev and Tsarukyan went the distance. In that bout, it was Makhachev who earned the unanimous decision win in a competitive fight.
Islam Makhachev Believes He Will Stop Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311
During an interview with UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier for ESPN, Islam Makhachev explained why he struggled at times during his first outing with Arman Tsarukyan.
“In the first fight, I don’t know his background,” Makhachev said. “He’s tough, that’s why he give me hard time, but now I know everything what he can do.”
Makhachev believes it’ll be a different story in January, although he obviously expects to have his hand raised once again. In fact, he is predicting a finish this go-around.
“I think yes,” Makhachev said when discussing a possible finish. “Charles [Oliveira], every round almost finish him. Do some guillotine, do some triangle choke, like, everything very close, but I think I have more chance.”
Makhachev hasn’t gone the distance since his first meeting with Alexander Volkanovski back in early 2023. The lightweight champion believes that was actually a tougher fight than his 2019 meeting with Tsarukyan.
If Makhachev can get past Tsarukyan a second time, he’ll have secured his fourth successful UFC Lightweight Championship defense. Stick with us for the latest updates going into UFC 311.