If Michael Chandler can’t get a UFC fight, Arman Tsarukyan might be able to relate these days.
Tsarukyan made his debut at Real American Freestyle’s wrestling event this past Saturday in South Florida and beat two-time PFL tournament winner Lance Palmer. Afterward, he called out “little girl” Chandler for a wrestling match.
Advertisement
Chandler responded by saying he would “absolutely smash” Tsarukyan if they wrestled, and now the No. 2-ranked UFC lightweight says he should put his money where his mouth is.
Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) recently was snubbed for a UFC interim lightweight title shot in favor of Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett. They’ll meet in the UFC 324 main event in less than two weeks. Tsarukyan is coming off a destructive submission of Dan Hooker in November in what was thought to be a top contender fight.
Tsarukyan could be in the UFC’s bad graces after he had to pull out of a title shot against Islam Makhachev a year ago during a botched weight cut. The Gaethje-Pimblett winner will be teed up for champ Ilia Topuria later this year, which theoretically would keep Tsarukyan on the MMA sidelines even longer.
Chandler has lost three straight and five of six. His only win the past five years came against Tony Ferguson, who set a UFC record with eight straight losses. Chandler’s win over him was during that stretch. He’s been pining for a long-ago-promised fight with Conor McGregor but has been left at the proverbial alter.
Check out the pertinent comments from Chandler and Tsarukyan below.
Michael Chandler, Arman Tsarukyan
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Michael Chandler answers Arman Tsarukyan’s callout for RAF, not UFC
