“They gotta protect him” – Arman Tsarukyan names ideal opponent for Ilia Topuria after his brutal Justin Gaethje loss 

Arman Tsarukyan recently shared his thoughts on the Justin Gaethje vs. Ilia Topuria fight and named an ideal opponent for the new lightweight champ.

Topuria and Gaethje threw down in a lightweight title fight in the main event of the UFC Freedom 250 card. While many expected Topuria to beat Gaethje easily, the American fighter surprised everyone by putting a beating on the Georgian-Spanish MMA star.

While Topuria had some notable moments in the second round, he couldn’t continue the fight beyond the fourth, and his corner threw in the towel to stop the contest. Gaethje ultimately won the undisputed 155-pound title via fourth-round knockout.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Tsarukyan shared his thoughts on who Topuria should fight next and dismissed Paddy Pimblett as a possible opponent. He said:

“Paddy is not the best matchup for him [Ilia], after that loss, because Paddy has a good chin, it’s difficult to knock him out. Five rounds, it’s gonna be tough with Paddy.”

Naming Michael Chandler as the best option for Topuria’s comeback fight, Tsarukyan added:

“Just give him Michael Chandler. Come back, knock him out. They gotta protect him, you know.”

Justin Gaethje questions Ilia Topuria’s ability to deal with adversity in the cage

Justin Gaethje recently addressed his win over Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 and claimed that the Georgian-Spanish fighter appeared panicked about his facial bleeding during the bout.

In a post-fight show (via @HappyPunch on X), the new undisputed UFC lightweight champion questioned Topuria’s ability to deal with hardships in the cage and said:

“He’s such a pretty boy that he was so concerned about the blood. So immediately. I hit him with the uppercut. He started bleeding and started touching it over and over… I am such a fan of this kid, but where do you go from here? It’s going to be a very tough time coming back for him.”