Is Ilia Topuria even defeatable? Fans have been asking this question since he knocked out three legends back-to-back.  ‘El Matador’ is now looking forward to returning in June to face Justin Gaethje, a fight he is already a massive favorite to win. However, as the fans expect the Georgian-Spaniard to triumph once again, Demetrious Johnson picks a UFC 155er who has the best chance to beat Topuria.

The former UFC flyweight champion recently shared a training session with Arman Tsarukyan, who left him seriously impressed. Hailing the No. 2-ranked lightweight in the world’s skillset, Demetrious Johnson believes Tsarukyan possesses all the skills needed to beat Ilia Topuria in a potential grudge match. 

Demetrious Johnson picks Arman Tsarukyan to beat Ilia Topuria 

“Now, when you look at Arman Tsarukyan after training with him, if he fights Ilia Topuria, I think he has the athletic ability and the skill set, the mixed martial artist mindset, to be able to beat Ilia Topuria,” ‘Mighty Mouse’ said in his YouTube video.

For a while, ‘Ahalkalakets’ has maintained his position as one of the best fighters in the lightweight division. Because of his wrestling skills and decent striking, fans believe he has one of the best shots at beating Ilia Topuria if they ever fight. And it’s not only ‘DJ’ who thinks Tsarukyan can go toe-to-toe with the Georgian-Spaniard champ. Even Daniel Cormier shared the same take, explicitly mentioning the Armenian as probably being “the best lightweight” in a Red Corner MMA interview. 

So, as we can see, not only fans but industry experts believe Tsarukyan would pose a massive threat to Topuria’s impeccable reign. But despite the hype behind the fight, the truth is that interim champion Justin Gaethje is next in line to face the lightweight champ, possibly at the White House under the UFC banner. Even so, Johnson believes the No. 2-ranked 155er should be next when Topuria and Gaethje settle their business.

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“The interim champion should be fighting Ilia Topuria next, and that’s the fight that needs to happen. But after that, Arman Tsarukyan should be fighting the winner of Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria. So that’s how I have it. I think Arman Tsarukyan has the best chance in the lightweight division to beat Ilia Topuria,” ‘DJ’ added in the YouTube video. 

Now, as Demetrious Johnson has once again lit the fire around what many believe could be the most competitive lightweight fight the UFC can make right now, Arman Tsarukyan has a backup plan if the clash with ‘El Matador’ doesn’t materialize.

Tsarukyan eyes a clash against former foe to prove a point 

After Dana White snubbed the Armenian’s title chances, it won’t be a stretch to say that Arman Tsarukyan’s championship contention is in a difficult position right now. However, the 29-year-old contender seems to have figured out a solution to weather the rough patch. To cement his next shot at the lightweight gold, Tsarukyan picked Charles Oliveira to defeat Max Holloway at UFC 326 so he can prove himself in the rematch and potentially earn the ultimate chance.

“Oliveira sometimes fights so bad, but sometimes he is unreal,” Tsarukyan said on his Telegram (h/t MMA DropZone). “You never know with him, but I still lean towards Oliveira winning. I hope Oliveira wins. We have a history. We can rematch. People say I won via split decision. I think I won convincingly. I won all rounds. I need to finish him and show people that my victory wasn’t an accident. Even two years ago, I was a level above him,” he added.

At UFC 300, Tsarukyan won a very tight decision against Oliveira, which many believe wasn’t a fully satisfying result. Since then, a rematch between the lightweight stars has been a highly sought-after clash. And if ‘Do Bronx’ is able to defeat ‘Blessed,’ he would become the BMF champion, potentially setting up an eliminator fight between him and the Armenian.

But if  Max Holloway wins, ‘Ahalkalakets’ can definitely look forward to a fresh matchup, which again would be a blockbuster showdown. That said, with the lightweight division getting more interesting by the day, who do you think Arman Tsarukyan will face next? Let us know in the comments section below.