Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan will go down as one of those spectacular clashes that we never got to see. We came very close at UFC 311, but the Armenian pulled out just before the event, leaving us still asking the question: Who’s better? However, Mehdi Baydulaev, a common link, convincingly believes that the Dagestani would absolutely dominate in that matchup.

“Night and day. Yes, such a big difference. In 9 minutes, Islam would submit Arman a couple of times with such wrestling. I wrestled with both, and I haven’t felt with Arman what I felt with Islam at all. Arman’s wrestling is just sticky, but Islam has everything under control, and his submissions are on another level. And Islam is much stronger physically,” Baydulaev said after his grappling contest with Tsarukyan. 

For the unversed, Mehdi Baydulaev is a Russian pro-MMA fighter who boasts a record of 19-2-0. But apart from proper cage fighting, Baydulaev also competes in wrestling matches. Recently, the 29-year-old clashed with Arman Tsarukyan at the ACBJJ 20 tournament in Moscow, so he definitely has firsthand experience in going toe-to-toe with the ‘Ahalkalakets’ on the mat.

There’s a Facebook clip shared by a Dagestani fighters page, which shows Islam Makhachev spending some time with him, confirming their connection. In one of their training clips, Baydulaev can be seen refusing to tap to a seemingly tight arm triangle variation from the champion.

Now, the Russian fighter has claimed that Makhachev would win against Tsarukyan in a wrestling match. Yet, it’s still unclear who’d have the upper hand in an MMA bout. The Armenian pulling out of the first PPV of this year definitely left the fans deprived of this match-up, which also made Dana White disappointed. Because of that reason, Tsarukyan’s dream of fighting for the UFC belt remained a dream this year.

However, in a massive twist, the number one UFC lightweight contender actually managed to win gold at ACBJJ 20, but not without an enormous risk. 

Arman Tsarukyan was almost disqualified at ACBJJ 20   

Dana White might have snubbed Arman Tsarukyan’s chances to fight for the lightweight championship, but he wasn’t ending this year without a belt. On December 17th, the Armenian powerhouse submitted the Russian Mehdi Baydulaev at the ACBJJ 20 tournament, held in Moscow, to win a shiny belt.

Judging by the top lightweight contender’s celebration, it felt like he had won the UFC title. Still, there was a moment when Tsarukyan was in deep trouble. Not much in terms of fighting, but he was really close to committing a massive foul. During a clinch exchange, Tsarukyan landed a knee, which is prohibited in a BJJ event. Baydulaev also attacked back with a kick, and for a moment, the clash looked like a proper MMA showdown.

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In the end, Tsarukyan was able to get his opponent’s back in a swift display of skill. Next? After a brief moment of struggle, the Armenian got the Russian in a body lock and landed a rear-naked choke. It was definitely an impressive show for the 29-year-old lightweight as he makes the case to be the backup for Paddy Pimblett vs Justin Gaethje interim title fight on January 24th.

But the question remains, would Dana White get impressed with the Armenian’s performance and at least provide him the backup position for the UFC 324 main event? Let us know in the comments section below.