The lightweight title of the UFC is perhaps the most coveted prize in the entire sport. After all, the 155lbs division is absolutely stacked- full of veritable UFC legends and some of the most promising up-and-comers. And it always has been. This is the reason that one has made more than three defenses of the gold at this weight class. The P4P #1 Islam Makhachev, whose own title defense tally reads three is slated to clash against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 on January 18 in the fight of his life.

And the Armenian is leaving no stone unturned to prepare for the clash. After having a grappling match with Khamzat Chimaev a couple of weeks ago, the #1 ranked lightweight has another trick up his sleeve to prepare for Makhachev. A recent photo of Tsarukyan with MMA icon Fedor Emilianenko on a wrestling mat has been going viral on the internet, showing that the duo had been training together.

Although Emilianenko didn’t ever fight in the UFC, he was by far the biggest, most popular mixed martial artist in the world, especially in Europe and Russia. Not to mention the former Pride heavyweight champion was an absolute juggernaut and one of the most fearsome strikers in the history of the sport.

Since Tsarukyan is primarily a wrestler and going up against Makhachev who has developed a lethal striking game, it is an excellent idea for him to have enlisted ‘The Last Emperor’s’ help. But most fans disagree.

Fans react to ‘The Last Emperor’ joining Arman Tsarukyan’s camp

The most important thing that one could tell from the lengths Arman Tsarukyan is going for the Makhachev fight is that he is extremely serious about the fight. Even though Makhachev is the rightful favorite going into the fight, Tsarukyan’s dedication has some fans wondering if he might spring an upset after all, “Ngl fedor and that grappling match with khamzat arman might shock the world”.

Islam Makhachev, of course, is a nightmare for anyone. With his legendary grappling skills, combined with his vastly improved striking, the Dagestani looks nigh unstoppable at the moment. This is why we cannot blame one fan for feeling that “Islam is 20 years ahead of Arman”. Another fan echoed this sentiment and felt that it was irrelevant whom Tsarukyan enlists to help prepare for Makhachev, the champ is still going to wipe the floor with him: “Even if he’ll train with Thanos then also Islam will beat s**t out of him”.

On the other hand, some fans were impressed with the kind of dedication Tsarukyan was showing in his preparations and felt that this would make for an exciting fight: “Training with fedor and khamzat is literally the best preparation you can have but Islam also has one of the best trainers in the world. Gonna be a highly competitive match.”

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Another fan seemed like a pretty chill guy. While their comment was undoubtedly meant to express indifference to Tsarukyan’s preparations for the fight and express confidence that Makhachev will still emerge victorious, it is also pretty good life advice in general: “No worries”.

One fan, however, was focused on the real issues and was horrified to his core at seeing Tsarukyan standing on the wrestling mat with his shoes on: “Shoes on the mat is crazy”. What do you think about Arman Tsarukyan training with Fedor Emilianenko for UFC 311?