Fight the Fighter Who Defeated Your Opponent
I’ll tell you straight, his punch is insane. It’s not just a lucky punch, as people say. – Tsarukyan
To be the man, you gotta beat the man! But how exactly do you defeat the pound-for-pound greatest fighter on the planet who’s won 14 consecutive UFC fights and a man you’ve already lost against?
Well, for UFC lightweight division’s No.1 contender, Arman Tsarukyan, he’s gone with the mentality that to defeat the man, you train with the ONLY man who’s ever defeated THE man.
Islam Makhachev’s first and only loss was a KO at the hands of Adriano Martins pic.twitter.com/IYKIzjJCKK
— Neil Butcher (@MMAassault1) March 15, 2020
Tsarukyan Drafts a Former Foe of Makhachev Into Training Camp
Alright, let me not confuse you. As you’re probably well aware, Islam Makhachev isn’t just the UFC lightweight champion; he’s also the pound-for-pound No.1, mainly due to the unthinkable 15-1 UFC record he owns, which includes octagon victories over some of the MMA promotions’ biggest names, like Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski, and Charles Oliveira.
Makhachev’s dominant 14-fight win streak has included nine wins by KO/TKO or submission, and to be quite frank, the man is an absolute beast in the cage and deserving of his P4P rank.
But what about the 1? The one on his record that signals he isn’t perfect. Well, the only reason Makhachev doesn’t have an undefeated record is due to Adriano Martins, who, as a UFC betting odds underdog, sent the current lightweight champ to the shadow realm with a first-round knockout way back in 2015.
Leeway must be given because it was just Makhachev’s third UFC appearance, and he was 23 years old at the time. However, that hasn’t prevented the lightweight king’s UFC 311 opponent from seeking an edge, as Tsarukyan brought in Martins’ assistance during his current training camp.
😂 Arman Tsarukyan is training with Adriano Martins ahead of his bout vs. Islam Makhachev at UFC 311.
Martins is the only guy to finish and defeat Makhachev in MMA, beating him in 2015 at UFC 192. pic.twitter.com/WvFYKQigoq
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) December 12, 2024
Adriano Martins’ Lucky Punch
Unfortunately, training with the only man to put an X on Makhachev’s record does come with its downsides, as the Armenia 155lb title contender was left spitting blood after sparring with the dangerous Brazilian.
“I’ll tell you straight, his punch is insane. It’s not just a lucky punch, as people say,” Tsarukyan commented in a recent interview.
“He landed two punches like that on me during sparring, and… no one has ever hit me like that. He caught me once, and my eye swelled up completely, turned all blue. I don’t know, I spat blood for two weeks, man; his power is natural, absolutely insane.”
Based on Makhachev’s success following Martins’ defeat, MMA fans have speculated and created UFC rumors that said the punch was lucky. However, after Tsarukyan’s comments and admittance that he took a beating in the gym, we now have evidence that Makhachev is, in fact, human and that Martins is just an animal once the cage door closes.
🗣️In his latest Russian interview, UFC 311 contender Tsarukyan said that Adriano Martins KOing Islam Makhachev wasn’t a lucky punch. Arman has never sparred with someone who hits as hard as Martins. Says he coughed up blood for 2 weeks after sparring with him.😱 Translated clip👇 pic.twitter.com/YZS5vrArbM
— PAM (@ParamPam1990) January 15, 2025
Whether or not this makes a difference to Saturday’s UFC 311 main event is yet to be known, but one thing is for sure: you DO NOT want to miss Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan II, live from the Inuit Dome, in Los Angeles, California.
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