The dream Arman Tsarukyan has of becoming the UFC champion could finally come true. He is one win away from a possible lightweight title shot, but he must go through Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in a title eliminator fight. As we enter fight week, let’s look at ‘Ahalkalakets’s background, especially his gym, coaches, and teammates ahead of his fight this weekend.

Arman Tsarukyan was born in Akhalkalaki, a small town in Georgia, which he proudly lets people know through his nickname, even though he represents Armenia when he fights. He initially started playing hockey at the age of 8. However, he then started training in wrestling simultaneously. But at 17, Tsarukyan left hockey, made his way into the world of grappling, and made his debut as a professional MMA fighter in 2015.

Arman Tsarukyan’s coaches and teammates: Did he train with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev?

Arman Tsarukyan was born in Georgia, which is not very far from the region of Dagestan in Russia. This often makes fans wonder if he had trained with UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov and reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. However, both parties have never trained with each other. In fact, Tsarukyan trains with the American Top Team, founded by Dan Lambert in Florida.

One of his coaches, Marcos ‘Parrumpa’ DaMatta, mentioned that Arman Tsarukyan possesses some unique qualities. That unique quality was the then-22-year-old’s ability to learn and adapt. “I think Arman is one of the most intelligent fighters that I’ve ever worked with. His fighting IQ is amazing. His ability to learn is second to none. I haven’t seen anyone that learns that fast,” DaMatta told ‘UFC.com‘ as reported by ‘MMA News‘.

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On the other hand, Arman Tsarukyan has some very highly successful fighters as teammates from the American Top Team. It includes Dustin Poirier, Alexandre Pantoja, Edson Barboza, Grant Dawson, and many others. Despite representing the nation of Armenia as a professional fighter, Tsarukyan appears to claim that he’s more of a Russian by heart.

Tsarukyan claims to be a Russian despite representing Armenia

Even though he has connections with Khabib Nurmagomedov and his protégé Islam Makhachev, Arman Tsarukyan claims to be every bit of a Russian like the two Dagestani natives. He once stated during an episode of ‘The MMA Hour‘ that he loves living in the Spanless Land. However, ‘Ahalkalakets’ did not undermine his Armenian nationality since he was Armenian by ethnicity.

“I like living there, I’ve lived there all my life. As for the flag, I think the Armenian flag represents me best because I am one hundred percent Armenian. I tell everyone: I am a Russian fighter, but I represent Armenia. I am motivated when I see Armenians in the stands, the flags of Armenia and Russia. At moments like these, I know that no one can defeat me this evening. I will win or die,” said Tsarukyan.

Arman Tsarukyan is getting ready for what could arguably be the biggest fight of his career against Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira. Will he be able to get past the former champion and get himself into title contention? What do you think? Drop your comments below.

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