Ilia Topuria unleashes harsh criticizm of Arman Tsarukyan

Ilia Topuria gave a harsh assesment of top UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan.

The UFC lightweight champion is currently in preparation for a title unification bout against Justin Gaethje at the White House, but should things go according to plan, Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) will need the next contender. Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is the next man up, but his actions outside of the cage have given the UFC pause to place him in another title opportunity.

"If they call me tomorrow and tell me Justin is injured, I will fight Arman, no problem," Topuria said on "The Ariel Helwani Show."

As a fighter, Topuria has plenty of respect for Tsarukyan – it's all the antics and the social media presence he's built recently that don't sit well.

"I'm really impressed with how dumb he is," Topuria said. "He's a retard. I don't know. He looks like a kid. Like his mentality. He's dumb as f*ck. Everything that I saw about him on the internet, it's embarassing. A little bit. ... F*ck Arman. Who cares about him?

"The thing that I don't like is when they play that they rich and they show all that money and it's like, bro, you're not even rich. Are you that poor that the only thing that you have is money? And you're spending your father's money, not even yours. You know what I mean. He's a f*cking kid."

Topuria and Tsarukyan have engaged in a few back-and-forths in the past on social media. The two fighters were in close proximity last November at a UFC event in Qatar, where Topuria recorded and posted a short video of an interaction that appeared cordial. Topuria called him a "scared duck" in the caption, sparking an exchange of insults.

"The day before of the video that I posted, he tweeted something like, 'If I see you the next time' – this or that," Touria said. "You know how they all play. They all gangsters, and when we cross the paths, they are like, 'Oh, how are you? You all good?' They smile, they like humble, normal human beings. But on Twitter, everyone is a gangster. Everyone is like, 'Oh, let's solve this is in the street.' Bro, I'm a professional athlete, I'm not a street fighter. I'm not a gangster."