Overview

• Topuria declared he will refuse to defend his UFC lightweight championship against No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan and offered to relinquish the belt instead
• He pointed to Tsarukyan’s previous withdrawal from a title bout with Islam Makhachev and argued that bigger fights against names like Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett hold greater appeal
• Chael Sonnen described the tactic as promotional gamesmanship, predicting that Topuria will ultimately meet Tsarukyan unless an injury intervenes
• Sean O’Malley defended the champion’s strategy on The Overdogs Podcast, saying stars must balance risk and reward by choosing marquee matchups
• Tsarukyan responded on X by calling Topuria a “p*ssy” and accusing him of undermining the merit-based contender hierarchy