Summary
Ilia Topuria is the UFC lightweight champion. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
While he can't convince the UFC executives to grant him another opportunity to fight for the lightweight belt (up to 70,3 kg), Arman Tsarukyan continues to impress relevant names in the sport. Former flyweight title holder (up to 56,7 kg) and champion with the most consecutive title defenses in history, Demetrious Johnson spared no praise for the Armenian in a video published on his YouTube channel last Tuesday (10).
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After training with the aspiring challenger, the former fighter praised his skills and the responsible way he conducts himself. According to Johnson, this approach is the ideal path to building a long career in the sport and rising to the top of the lightweight division (up to 70,3 kg), currently dominated by Ilia Topuria.
“He’s super athletic, super strong, and adapts very well. He never gets tired and is always learning from his opponents. I was even more impressed by how good a training partner he is, despite the size difference. If he can train like this with several people, he’ll have a long career suffering less damage. There’s a right time to start training hard, but I think he’s the type of person who could probably spend his entire career training this way and become a world champion,” he stated.
Demetrious Johnson thinks Arman Tsarukyan can become a world champion while taking less damage over his career 🏆
"He's super athletic, super strong, and very good at adapting. He never gets tired, and he's always a student of the game. I was even more impressed by how good of a… pic.twitter.com/KvjYVVCx6f
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) February 11, 2026
Ironically, it was an unexpected injury that hampered the final months of the Armenian's career. Just hours before the weigh-in for UFC 311 , where he was scheduled to face Islam Makhachev in the main event, Tsarukyan complained of a back injury and was forced to withdraw, opening a spot for Renato Moicano . Since then, the athlete has been sidelined by Dana White and will need to defeat more opponents to regain his status as the number one contender.
Tsarukyan celebrates his UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC
Ilia Topuria returned to training.
Ilia Topuria in training. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
Months after announcing a hiatus to resolve legal issues related to his divorce from Giorgina Badell, El Matador recently stated on his social media that he is returning to the sport. Initially, he will continue training at his home in Madrid. He is expected to face Justin Gaethje in a title unification bout sometime in the first half of the year, possibly at the White House.
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