Ilia Topuria has teased all kinds of future plans since becoming champion, but none of them appear to include the one man the division keeps pushing toward him. Instead of recognizing Arman Tsarukyan as his rightful next challenge, ‘El Matador’ took a completely different approach, either chasing Islam Makhachev up a division or taking a detour at lightweight that caught everyone off guard.

When the video of Ilia Topuria declaring Paddy Pimblett as his preferred candidate popped up, Arman Tsarukyan did not try to disguise his feelings about it. ‘Ahalkalakets’ recognized the pattern immediately. He noticed the avoidance. And he saw an opportunity to say what many fans were already whispering.

Arman Tsarukyan calls out El Pato for ducking the title fight

While Ilia Topuria spoke in Spanish, the message didn’t need translating. “I’d like to fight Paddy if they don’t let me move up to welterweight to fight Islam,” he said in a recent interview, emphasizing that Makhachev is the true target. And while that alone would have been enough to stir things up, choosing Pimblett over the No. 1 contender was the true surprise.

No disguise, no spin—just a clean swerve away from the man waiting for him. So, as expected, ‘Ahalkalakets’ fired back like someone who knows he’s being dodged. He retweeted the video with a single line: “Could it be any more obvious that El Pato is doing everything in his power to avoid fighting me?”

It wasn’t loud, just cold and accurate—a kind of shot that works because it rings true. After all, this is the same champion who once stated that he would rather vacate the title than defend it against Arman Tsarukyan. And that’s what hurts: the pattern hasn’t changed one bit.

Whether it’s blaming the canceled January fight, chasing Islam Makhachev, or now pointing at Paddy, Ilia Topuria keeps looking elsewhere. Meanwhile, Arman Tsarukyan reinforced his case by smashing through Dan Hooker, looking like the ideal challenger a champion should want. Instead, he’s watching the belt-holder look around the room for anyone but him.

Now, with Justin Gaethje threatening to retire if he is overlooked and Paddy Pimblett being viewed as a real option, the Armenian has had enough of playing nice. He’s calling it straight, and until Topuria finally aims at him, this rivalry will stay online long before it reaches a cage. Or maybe it spilled a bit outside of it as well already; at least that’s what ‘El Matador’ claims.

Arman Tsarukyan and Ilia Topuria’s “slapgate” at UFC Qatar

Earlier this week, before the back-and-forth over contenders boiled over on social media again, Ilia Topuria attempted to add another wrinkle to their feud by alleging he “slapped” Arman Tsarukyan backstage in Qatar. And for Arman Tsarukyan, who was already furious with being sidestepped, this was yet another example of the champion making noise rather than confronting him. ‘Ahalkalakets’ quickly rejected the accusations.

He claimed the incident was not heated at all—no slap, nothing close, just a brief, almost polite touch on the neck, which ‘El Matador’ later attempted to spin into a headline. His response on X made it clear that the clip showed insecurity rather than dominance. “Bro, you touched my neck like we were taking a family photo, and now you’re calling it a slap online?” he wrote on X. “The clip is clear—your insecurity’s even clearer.”

The Armenian was not interested in playing tough on social media when the real test happens inside the cage. The Spanish-Georgian doubled down, posting the footage and insisting Arman freezes up in person. But the video did not actually support him. There was no crack or reaction, just two combatants crossing paths with cameras circling. Still, it was enough to spark “Slapgate,” a minor incident that soon became ammo for a feud that is now spilling into every corner of UFC conversations.