Armenia’s Arman Tsarukyan: How am I afraid of Islam Makhachev if I have been preparing for that rematch for 6 years?
10:18 23 January, 2026Arman Tsarukyan (Armenia), the No.1-ranked title contender in the lightweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in mixed martial arts (MMA), has dismissed rumors that he was afraid of going to the fight against Islam Makhachev (Russia).
Later, it was announced that Tsarukyan had declined to fight Makhachev at the last moment due to a herniated disc in his lumbar spine.
“How am I afraid of Islam if I fought him on short notice at 22 [years of age] vs. Islam, who had the experience of six-seven fights in the UFC, and Khabib [Nurmagomedov's] teammate, and show up before two weeks. They called me before two or three weeks. I showed up, made my weight, and fought with him. It was a pretty close fight. How can I be afraid [now]? I have been preparing for six years for that [rematch]. How can I be afraid? Even if I lose, I would show a good fight, and make money, and make my name bigger," Tsarukyan said, Sportskeeda reports.
In the MMA, Arman Tsarukyan has a record of 23 wins in 26 bouts.
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