👀Robert Whittaker says there is a ’skill
gap‘ between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan:“I just feel there is a skill gap. Islam is in a very good place
right now. I find it very hard to see him getting defeated.”Advertisement
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— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
January 13, 2025
Robert
Whittaker doesn’t think Islam
Makhachev and Arman
Tsarukyan are on the same level.
Makhachev puts his lightweight title on the line in a rematch
against Tsarukyan in the main event at UFC 311
on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Tsarukyan previously
dropped a hard-fought unanimous decision against Makhachev in his
short-notice
UFC debut in 2019. Tsarukyan has since lost only once in 10
outings and comes off a split-decision win over Charles
Oliveira at UFC 300 in April 2024.
Meanwhile, Makhachev has defended his title three times since
winning it against Oliveira in 2020. The Dagestani star comes off a
fifth-round submission win over Dustin
Poirier at UFC 302 in June, which many consider to be his
toughest test to date. Tsarukyan is widely expected to pose the
biggest threat so far to Makhachev’s championship reign.
However, Whittaker doesn’t think so. The Australian sees an evident
skill difference between Makhachev and “Ahalkalakets” based on
their latest outings. According to “Bobby Knuckles,” Makhachev is a
tough customer to beat at this stage in his career.
“I understand how good Arman
Tsarukyan is,” Whittaker said on the MMA Arcade podcast. “But I
just feel like if we look at Islam’s last fight with Dustin and we
look at Arman’s last fight with Charles, I just feel like there’s a
skill gap. And everyone’s saying how well Arman went in his debut,
short notice etc., etc. But you look at the names, you look at the
level of fights, you look at the stage that Islam’s fight was set
on, I don’t know, I just see … Islam’s in a really good place right
now. I find it very hard to see him getting defeated.”