Is Ilia Topuria Ducking Arman Tsarukyan? Sean O'Malley Says, 'Why Risk It...'

Last Updated:August 02, 2025, 15:10 IST

O’Malley understands UFC lightweight champ Ilia Topuria's hesitation to fight Arman Tsarukyan, citing bigger names like Makhachev, Gaethje, and Pimblett as better options.

Sean O'Malley (R) gets Ilia Topuria (L). (Reuters)

Sean O’Malley isn’t surprised that UFC champion Ilia Topuria is hesitant to book a showdown with the division’s No. 1 contender, Arman Tsarukyan. Fresh off his first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira to claim the lightweight crown at UFC 317, Topuria now finds himself weighing risk versus reward for his first title defense. And “Suga" admits he understands the champion’s calculation.

“Arman definitely has a chance," O’Malley told The Overdogs Podcast. “He definitely has a shot." Yet when O’Malley considers Topuria’s position, he sees bigger names and bigger paydays on the table. “In Ilia’s mind… Ilia’s such a massive superstar right now. It’s like, why fight Arman when you could fight Islam [Makhachev] or even Gaethje is a bigger fight than Arman. I think Paddy is a bigger fight," O’Malley explained.

That trio—Islam, Gaethje, and Paddy Pimblett—garner more eyeballs and bigger promotional buzz than Tsarukyan, whose resume, though formidable, doesn’t light up the marquee quite like the others. “So it just depends on where Ilia’s head’s at. Does he want to just go out there and say hey, I want the next best guy? I feel like he’s kinda past that," O’Malley added. “He’s kinda like, who’s the biggest fight? What’s gonna [get] the most attention? And in his mind, it’s not Arman right now. So, I kinda get where he’s coming from. Why risk it against someone that’s not super popular, who’s very, very, very dangerous? Arman’s very dangerous. So, I kinda get that from Ilia’s perspective."

Topuria’s hesitation isn’t without precedent. Pundits like Paul Felder and Michael Bisping have openly wondered if the champion is “pulling a Jon Jones" by sidestepping the mandatory challenger. Tsarukyan was forced out of a booked bout with Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 due to injury, giving Topuria added reason to pause before committing to the Russian-Armenian contender. In fact, Topuria recently claimed he’d rather vacate the belt than risk another cancellation.

O’Malley’s own title reign carries a similar storyline of calculated matchmaking. He defended his bantamweight strap once—dominating Chito Vera in a five-round decision at UFC 299—rather than facing then–No. 1 Merab Dvalishvili, who was locked in a ten-fight win streak. Ultimately, Dvalishvili ended O’Malley’s 392-day reign at UFC 306 last September.

Just as O’Malley once picked his spots, Topuria is choosing marquee names over mandatory duties. For now, fans will have to wait and see if the UFC champ switches gears and grants Tsarukyan his long-awaited title shot—or fights fate and forfeits gold altogether.

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First Published:

August 02, 2025, 15:10 IST

News sports Is Ilia Topuria Ducking Arman Tsarukyan? Sean O'Malley Says, 'Why Risk It...'

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