Arman Tsarukyan: Khabib’s Presence in Opposite Corner at UFC 311 Will Be Motivating

Arman Tsarukyan is excited to have his idol Khabib Nurmagomedov in the opposite corner at UFC 311.

Tsarukyan challenges Nurmagomedov’s teammate, Islam Makhachev, for the lightweight title in the main event at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. “Ahalkalkets” previously suffered a hard-fought unanimous decision loss against Makhachev in his UFC debut back in 2019.

While Nurmagomedov was in attendance for the fight, he wasn’t cornering Makhachev back then. However, the lightweight GOAT contender will be in Makhachev’s corner for his upcoming defense against Tsarukyan at UFC 311. “The Eagle” will also be cornering his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov, who challenges Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title in the co-main event of the night.

Tsarukyan was recently asked to choose between Nurmagomedov and Makhachev with both being at their peak. Having grown up being inspired by Nurmagomedov, Tsarukyan prefers “The Eagle” — not only as a fighter but also as a human being.

“Khabib for me is different, different level of fighter,” Tsarukyan told Ariel Helwani. “Not just like a fighter, like a man. So I like Khabib more than Islam. Because when I was young, I watched all Khabib’s fights. And for me he is a GOAT in our division.”

Despite Nurmagomedov being Tsarukyan’s idol, the 28-year-old claims he’ll be even more energized to have the former champ in the opposite corner. For Tsarukyan, a potential win over Makhachev will be like a win over Team Khabib.

“It’s gonna get me more energy,” Tsarukyan said. “Because it’s kind of, if I beat Islam, it’s like kind of beat Khabib’s team you know.”

Tsarukyan is riding a four-fight winning streak, topped off by a split-decision win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 this past April. Meanwhile, Makhachev has won 14 consecutive outings — including four title wins — since suffering his lone career loss against Adriano Martins in his UFC debut back in 2015.