Dan Hooker proved to be a small mountain to scale for Arman Tsarukyan. The Armenian lightweight submitted Hooker in the second round of their fight at UFC Qatar. And he knew who his next target was. “Everybody’s running, especially Ilia [Topuria],” the Armenian told Michael Bisping after the fight. “There’s just one #1 contender, it’s Arman Tsarukyan. Don’t make an easy fight. I’m ready, end of January. Just send me the contract, I’ll be there.” And this was enough. ‘El Matador’ didn’t waste time responding to the callout. 

He shared a clip, which showed him gently caressing Tsarukyan’s face from backstage. However, he turned up the heat in the caption of the post. “Arman, every time we see each other in person, you freeze up like a scared duck with no idea what to do,” Topuria wrote on X. “I handle you however I want. I fight whoever the UFC chooses. And remember, I slapped you and you just laughed, then you go around acting like a gangster. So keep going, you’re on the right path… just a few levels below me, kid.” Now, ‘Ahalkalakets’ has revealed the truth.

Arman Tsarukyan sees Ilia Topuria’s insecurity clearly

Reacting to a post about Topuria’s comments, the 29-year-old lashed out. “Bro, you touched my neck like we were taking a family photo, and now you’re calling it a slap online?” Tsarukyan wrote on X. “The clip is clear—your insecurity’s even clearer. I don’t need to act tough for Twitter. My work is inside the cage. If you want to know what a real slap feels like, I’ll be happy to educate you. See you soon, El Pato [Duck Emoji].”

The Dan Hooker fight was positioned as a title eliminator for Ilia Topuria’s lightweight strap. Meaning, he is technically next in line for a title shot. However, there are two other contenders in the race—Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje. Meanwhile, Topuria is expected to fight in January next on the UFC’s first card with Paramount. Although the exchanges between Topuria and Tsarukyan are escalating, it’s currently unclear who will end up landing the title shot.

While Justin Gaethje has threatened he would retire from the sport if not given the title shot, Paddy Pimblett continues to flaunt his long-time rivalry with Topuria as the perfect reason to match them. So, who’s getting the opportunity? Well, only the UFC and Dana White have the answer to that question. With November on its last leg, an announcement from the promotion shouldn’t be far away, but in the end, two of these three fighters will be disappointed.

Coming back to Topuria’s clip, Khamzat Chimaev had an interesting take on Tsarukyan and Topuria crossing paths backstage. 

Khamzat Chimaev on a backstage fight between Tsarukyan and Ilia Topuria

Before UFC Qatar, Khamzat Chimaev claimed he had no intention of breaking up a backstage fight between Arman Tsarukyan and Ilia Topuria if the two rivals crossed paths. While Tsarukyan headlined last Saturday’s main event against Hooker and Topuria was in Doha to corner his brother Aleksandre. Their feud has grown through pointed interviews, and both men now sit on a collision course for the UFC lightweight title.

Chimaev, who cornered Tsarukyan, made it clear he would only step in to ensure the fight remains fair if it happened. “If something happens, let them go one on one,” he told Hustle Vlog, adding that he and his team would keep others from jumping in. While a physical altercation didn’t break out, Chimaev acknowledged that the tension between Tsarukyan and Topuria is part of the fight game.

“We need this kind of hype, we need big loud fights… Both are promoting their fight. Someday it will happen.”

Having said that, the exchanges between Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan appear to be escalating. This could potentially set up a fight between them in January, but only time will tell whether that happens. Who would you want Topuria to fight next?