Khamzat Chimaev isn’t too impressed by Arman Tsarukyan’s latest win on the wrestling circuit, dismissing it as nothing more than a promotional move.
Chimaev is currently preparing for his first title defence since taking the belt from Dricus du Plessis last August.
Tsarukyan, who is coming off a loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 300 in April, joined Chimaev’s camp recently. The Armenian even managed to get a few jabs in during their sessions together.
‘Borz’ didn’t hold back when discussing Tsarukyan’s recent activities, suggesting they were more about building hype than genuine competition. “I think he just did that for PR. It was not something serious,” Chimaev told Daniel Cormier.
Chimaev and Tsarukyan often train together and have developed a close bond that sometimes includes a bit of banter.
Lately, that’s centred around Tsarukyan’s recent choice of opponents during his time away from the UFC. Chimaev has been quick to point out that his friend hasn’t exactly been facing the toughest competition.
He first joked about Tsarukyan fighting “small guys” and “influencers” after the Armenian lightweight submitted Muhammad Mokaev in Hype FC and beat Georgio Poullas twice in Real American Freestyle.
Chimaev kept the jokes coming during a recent training session with fitness coach Sam Calavitta, taking another playful shot at Tsarukyan.
“This guy (went) and wrestled a 75-year-old man, came back and he thinks he’s the champ,” Chimaev said after Tsarukyan claimed the session was “easy.”
The Chechen star was referring to Tsarukyan’s win over Urijah Faber at RAF08 in Philadelphia, where he secured victory via tech fall over the 46-year-old former WEC champion and UFC title challenger.
“A win is a win, right? Who cares?” Tsarukyan replied.
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