[embedded content]
Arman Tsarukyan has put in the work unlike ever before going into his first opportunity at gold on Saturday in the UFC 311 headliner.
Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) is set to rematch lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in the main event at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+), and it’s a moment he’s been waiting years to materialize.
The matchup was originally targeted to take place this past October in Abu Dhabi, but Makhachev needed additional time to recover from a hand injury. Tsarukyan, however, has spent all that time methodically training at American Top Team in Florida and elsewhere.
“I have experience, but when you have a title fight, sometimes you want to do something more than you’re used to doing,” Tsarukyan told MMA Junkie. “My coaches tried to stop me from doing this, so I feel good and I don’t feel overtrained.”
Tsarukyan has known he would be next to face Makhachev since his split decision victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April. It’s his ideal scenario, because not only does Tsarukyan get the chance to claim the 155-pound belt, but he can avenge his first octagon loss.
Makhachev, 33, defeated Tsarukyan, 28, by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 149 in April 2019, and both men are eager to dispel the competitive nature of that bout and prove they are clearly superior.
There is no shortage of motivation for Tsarukyan, and it shows he’s used that effectively. Photos of his physique posted to social media have gone viral and are among the most viewed content he’s ever shared, and Tsarukyan said it’s all a product of knowing what this moment means.
“I’ve been training since May after the Charles Oliveira fight and I heard I’m going to fight for the title,” Tsarukyan said. “When you fight for the title, you’re so motivated and you want to do all things right. I always train hard and now I’m just ready to rock and roll.”
Tsarukyan, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, said no stone has been left unturned during his training camp. He’s at his best for No. 1-ranked Makhachev, and he put in nearly every waking hour to ensure he leaves UFC 311 with the belt.
“(My hardest day of training) was in the mountains in Russia,” Tsarukyan said. “We trained three-and-a-half weeks. I have a freestyle wrestling coach. He’s like an old-school (coach). You’ve got to stop him. You’ve got to say, ‘Coach, it’s dinner time.’ We could start at 5 a.m. and stop at 8 p.m. just because dinner and you’re going to miss dinner.
“If it’s not dinner, we would train until 10 p.m., because he likes his job and he’s a good coach. They used to train like this, but now the new generation cannot handle that training.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Arman Tsarukyan reacts to UFC 311 physique going viral
