UFC lightweight champion and No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Islam Makhachev is gearing up for a high-stakes title defense on Saturday against top contender Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 at the brand new Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The two 155-pounders last met in 2019, when Makhachev secured a unanimous decision victory. Tsarukyan has since been on an impressive run, going 9–1 and earning his shot at the title in the first UFC PPV of the year.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated's Doug Vazquez, Makhachev acknowledged Tsarukyan's growth as a fighter, noting his physical and technical improvements. "Yeah, of course he's improved. He's become like grown up, become a man. You know now he's older and he’s improved a lot. But his style is the same, always. He tries to take down people. He’s good on that. That's why he's a No. 1 contender," Makhachev said.
Makhachev made a bold prediction for the upcoming fight, signaling his intent to finish Tsarukyan decisively. "For sure, any small chance I will finish him [in the] first round, second, third, but I think it's gonna be under three rounds. I will finish him. I will look always, all my fights, if I have a small chance, I finish people. But this fight I have more motivation to finish him because [our] last fight [went the] distance and like people say, Arman [gives] good fights. But this time I want to finish all questions," he stated humbly but definitively.
The lightweight king is clearly driven to leave no doubts about his dominance in the division and will also be attempting to make history as the first fighter in the division to defend the title four times, surpassing the likes of Hall of Famers B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar.
Beyond this fight, Makhachev acknowledged the lack of contenders in a division that he’s run through and dismantled, but he remains focused solely on Tsarukyan. The 33-year-old said he will be evaluating future plans with his coaches Khabib Nurmagomedov, Javier Mendez and team after this bout. UFC 311 will also feature Makhachev's close friend and training partner and Khabib’s cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, who is fighting for the bantamweight title, once again putting the legacy of fighters from Dagestan in the spotlight.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Islam Makhachev Vows to Finish Arman Tsarukyan in Under Three Rounds at UFC 311.
