On December 2 at the UFC on ESPN 52 event, Russian Arman Tsarukyan will fight against American Beneil Dariush. The representative of Russia has lost only one fight in the last eight meetings, and the U.S. native was defeated in his last meeting, breaking an eight-fight win streak. A win in the upcoming fight could allow Tsarukyan to move into the top-5 of the lightweight division rankings and move even closer to the title fight.
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In an interview with Telecomasia.net, Tsarukyan:
- named the strengths of his opponent;
- explained Dariush's defeat to Charles Oliveira;
- responded to Bobby Green's criticism;
- spoke about his coaching staff;
- spoke about Conor McGregor's political career;
- commented on Eduard Vartanyan's negotiations with the UFC.
"Dariush's defeat in the Oliveira fight was informative for me"
- Can you name some of Beneil Dariush's strong points? What would make his inconvenient for his opponents?
- His strong points are his jiu-jitsu and striking technique. It's a bit too wide, but still pretty good. He's got a knockout punch. That's basically it.
- How informative was the fight between Dariush and Charles Oliveira for you? Did the fight show that he was in decline?
- No, it didn't. But the fight was informative for me. We're working on the exact combination he missed.
- Will a win over Dariusz be enough to become a title challenger?
- We'll understand that after the fight. I can't say anything now.
- Can Dariush not only control his opponent on the ground, but also submit him, or avoid submission himself?
- He's a world jiu-jitsu champion. How can he not know? Of course he's a master. He's a good wrestler.
"I will definitely meet Green"
- You had a five-round fight with Mateusz Gamrot. Did you feel good in the fifth round?
- I should have saved my energy in the first two rounds. I pushed too hard at the beginning. I didn't pace myself. I should have started slow and worked my way up. I started out fast and went down.
- Have you made any adjustments now to be more resilient?
- Yeah. There's been some adjustments. But it's an inside job.
- What can you say to Bobby Green, who called you a boring fighter and said he falls asleep watching your fights?
- What can you say? I can say, "Good night."
- Were you surprised by Greene's remark?
- I wasn't surprised. He can't surprise anyone.
- Do you know him personally? Have you met him in the gym?
- No, not yet. But I'll be sure to meet him soon. I haven't run into him yet.
- Sounds like a threat.
- Well, yeah. I guess it could be.
"If you want to train in America, go for it"
- What are the benefits of training in America?
Professionalism. The approach to training. All the guys are professionals. There are no amateurs or intermediate fighters. Everyone is a high-level fighter, and everyone knows how you need to work, what you need to do. When you work with a professional, you feel that he is trying not to injure you, he won't strain you, he won't choke you.
- Do you mean that in Russia some training sessions look like actual fights?
- No. In Russia professionals and amateurs are training together in a gym. In America professionals are a separate group.
- What advice can you give to fighters who want to train in America?
- Leave.
- What difficulties can they face?
- A lot. Housing, food, language. If you have a friend, an acquaintance or a good manager, there will be no troubles. If you go alone, you don't know anything, you don't have much money, there will be difficulties.
"Makhachev's move to welterweight isn't in my interests"
- Would it be in your interests if Islam Makhachev moves to welterweight?
- No, it is not in my interests.
- Why? A vacant title means more opportunities.
- Islam is popular. Fighting him is a big step forward.
- Many people say that you are almost the only lightweight who can provide worthy competition to Makhachev. Are they right?
- How can I disagree? Why am I training then if I don't think I can give him a fight?
- There's no question about that. The question is, are you the only lightweight fighter who can do that? There's Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Mateusz Gamrot, Dariush.
- Everyone can make a good fight, but not everyone can beat Makhachev.
"It would be very interesting to have a fight with Conor"
- Will Conor McGregor come back to MMA?
- He will.
- Against whom?
- Michael Chandler.
- And what are McGregor's chances of winning?
- Greater than against any other opponent.
- So Chandler is a good opponent for Conor?
- Yeah.
- Would you be interested in fighting him?
- Of course. It would be very interesting.
- McGregor has recently announced he is pursuing a political career. Can he become the president of Ireland? Would that be a good thing for his country?
- I don't think he is competent to be president of Ireland.
- How is Eduard Vartanyan doing? Has he helped you in any way? Is he negotiating with the UFC?
- He hasn't helped me this time. He plans to come to my fight and support me. His negotiations with UFC are in progress. As far as I know, he's waiting for a replacement to jump into a fight on short notice.
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