Beneil
Dariush believes “energy conservation” is going to be the
differentiator in a potential clash between Islam
Makhachev and Arman
Tsarukyan.
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Tsarukyan earned a title shot against Makhachev with a
split-decision victory in a title eliminator against Charles
Oliveira at UFC
300 in April. However, Tsarukyan turned down a title shot for
UFC
302 last month, citing the quick turnaround. Makhachev, who was
insistent on defending his lightweight title in the summer, went on
to submit Dustin
Poirier in the fifth round of the UFC 302 main event.
Meanwhile, Tsarukyan was fined $25,000 and suspended for nine
months for throwing a punch at a fan during his UFC 300 walkout.
However, Tsarukyan’s ban will be reduced to six months if he issues
a commission-approved anti-bullying public service announcement,
making him eligible to compete by Oct. 12. With Makhachev highly
likely to be part of UFC 308
on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi, Tsarukyan is expected to challenge the
champ next.
Dariush, who is coming off a first-round knockout loss against
Tsarukyan, recently shared his prediction for a potential clash
between “Ahalkalakets” and Makahchev. While Dariush observed
Makhachev slowing down with time in his tough test against Poirier,
the Assyrian-American believes Tsarukyan slows down even more.
Dariush believes Makhachev is more economical with his energy,
which will earn him a decision win or a late finish over Tsarukyan.
According to Dariush, “Ahalkalakets” only has a chance of winning
the fight early and is likely to lose a drawn-out affair.
“The openings I saw in Makhachev [fight against Poirier] were the
same ones I saw when he fought [Alexander] Volkanovski. He does
slow down quite a bit and that could be a big factor,” Dariush told
Submission Radio. “But the problem is, I think
Arman
Tsarukyan also slows down, and he slows down more. I think
Islam’s best weapons are his takedown defense and his patience. So,
I think he’s a better fighter economically speaking, than
Tsarukyan. And I think that’s gonna be the key in the fight. I
think the fight’s gonna go into the later rounds and that’s gonna
be what helps Makhachev. I think he’s gonna win the fight, decision
most likely or finish at the end. But I think for Arman, his best
chances are early. He’s an explosive guy. He can come out early, he
can possibly get a KO or submission early on. But it’s gonna be
hard for him to win a five-round fight in my opinion.”
Tsarukyan made his UFC debut on short notice against Makhachev in
2019, giving the Dagestani a run for his money despite ending up on
the short side of a unanimous decision. While Dariush believes the
win gives Makhachev a slight advantage, he also suggests the champ
should draw from his shortcomings in that fight.
“I think it does give him an advantage but also there is one
problem with it,” Dariush said. “I think he also has to remember
like, ‘Man I had weaknesses in these places and this guy was able
to take advantage of that.’ So, he has to think about that as well…
It’s gonna be interesting who makes the bigger adjustments. Because
the fight was so close last time, and I think the fight will be
close again. And I think it’s the energy conservation of Makhachev
that’s gonna win the fight.”