Arman Tsarukyan impressed in his UFC debut in 2019 despite a unanimous decision loss to Makhachev

Since then he has won nine of 10 fights to earn a shot at the title, while Makhachev has established himself as a pound-for-pound number one by becoming champion and defeating the likes of Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski and Charles Oliveira .

Robert Whittaker predicts UFC 311 main event

Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2 is expected to be a hard-fought fight over the five-round distance.

However, Robert Whittaker believes the lightweight title fight could be a one-sided affair.

“The Reaper” sees an obvious difference in skill between the two fighters, who most say are a good match.

“I understand how good Arman Tsarukyan is,” Whittaker said on the MMA Arcade podcast.

“When we look at Islam’s last fight with Dustin (Poirier) and Arman’s fight with Charles (Oliveira), I just feel like there’s a gap. I feel like there is a skills gap.

“Everyone says how well Arman did on his debut (against Makhacehv), at the last minute, at short notice, etc. etc.

“But you look at the names, you look at the scale of the fighting and the stage on which the struggle of Islam took place…

“I don’t know. Islam is doing very well at the moment. It’s very difficult for me to imagine defeat.”

What happens after UFC 311?

If Makhachev beats Tsarukyan at UFC 311, he will set a new company record for lightweight title defenses by scoring one more strikes (4) than teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The 155-pound king previously discussed a possible fight against Leon Edwards when he ruled the welterweight division, but talk of a weight change has died down since Belal Muhammad won gold at 170 pounds at UFC 304 last July.

“Remember The Name” is a training partner of Makhachev. “Team Khabib” helped Muhammad prepare for his fight against Edwards, where he won the title.

Nurmagomedov has admitted he wouldn’t agree with fights between Makhachev and Muhammad – but the UFC 311 headliner insists a clash is more likely than him facing featherweight champion Ilia Topuria in 2025.

“I think (it’s more likely that I fight the winner of Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov) because Topuria doesn’t make sense,” Makhachev said.

“For what? For a belt? For money? I have money. I don’t need it. I need the second belt.”

Only time will tell what will happen next for Makhachev. First, he faces the difficult task of defeating Tsarukyan, who will enter his first title fight in tatters after taking his UFC 311 camp very seriously.

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