Not-dumb Arman Tsarukyan responds to ‘jealous’ (and hairless) Ilia Topuria – ‘Why are you ducking?’

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26:Ilia Topuria of Spain prepares to face Max Holloway in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

The tension is real.

No. 2-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan has responded to champion Ilia Topuria after the Georgian-Spanish superstar ripped him earlier this week — calling him “dumb” and vowing to break his jaw if they ever fight.

Tsarukyan isn’t buying it.

“You know why [he’s talking about me]? He’s jealous,” Tsarukyan told Ariel Helwani today. “He wants to say I’m nothing and that if the UFC offers the fight, he won’t take it. He wants to tell everyone in this world that I’m not on his level — He said [Charles] Oliveira is a good fighter, [Justin] Gaethje and [Max] Holloway are good fighters but he didn’t say anything about me, it’s just a joke.”

Then came the pushback.

“In my culture, if you say something about someone, you explain why,” Tsarukyan continued. “He couldn’t explain why I’m ‘dumb.’ We’ll see when the fight happens. We’ll see how I won’t take him down — I can take down anybody.”