Arman Tsarukyan did not hesitate when picking a side for the UFC 324 main event.
With UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria taking some personal time off, Justin Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and Paddy Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) will battle for the interim belt on Jan. 24 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, leaving Tsarukyan out of the title picture.
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Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) vented his frustration after being snubbed, but takes particular issue with Pimblett being one half of the matchup.
“It’s a business to build Paddy and make him easy fights,” Tsarukyan told ESPN MMA. “But I hope Justin is going to beat his ass and we’re going to forget about Paddy for all our lives. They give him easy fights because they know he’s going to lose to (lightweight champion) Ilia (Topuria). Better to do interim title because if he has no title, he’s not that big.
“I hope he’s not going to be a champion, but UFC thinks he’s going to be a champion and he’s going to fight for the real belt with Ilia, that time he’s going to be a superstar and sell more pay-per-views or whatever they do, and the real fighters like me are just watching and waiting.”
Pimblett made sure to rub it in Tsarukyan’s face after the title-fight announcement was made.
Tsarukyan is coming off a dominant submission win over Dan Hooker at UFC Fight Night 265 in Qatar. While he’d love to hand Pimblett the same fate, he’s rooting for Gaethje to win.
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“I would just maul his face on the ground with my elbows,” Tsarukyan said of Pimblett. “When I fought with Hooker, I was thinking what should I do when I was on top, should I choke him or just elbow him? But with Paddy, I’m never going for the choke. I’m going to just elbow him all day, all night and make his face bleed. I’ve got to leave a lot of marks on his face. That’s my goal.
“I hope Justin Gaethje is not going to drink, party, dedicate himself, be focused. It’s his last chance in his life. He was fighting for the title maybe like five times, so this is his last chance at the end of his career, win the interim title, fight for the real title, and then retire. That’s the best for him. Justin, if you need help, let me know. I will fly to you and help you. I want (Gaethje) to win. That bullsh*t guy (Pimblett), I hate him.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Arman Tsarukyan offers Justin Gaethje help for Paddy Pimblett fight
