Ilia Topuriahas little in the way of praise for Arman Tsarukyan.

The reigning UFC lightweight champion is slated to square off against interim titleholder Justin Gaethje in a title unification bout in the main event ofUFC Freedom 250on June 14, scheduled to take place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.

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“El Matador” captured the 155-pound title with a first-round knockout victory overCharles Oliveiraat UFC 317. Many expected Tsarukyan to be next in line for a title shot, but the promotion instead introduced an interim belt at UFC 324 in Topuria’s absence, where Gaethje defeatedPaddy Pimblettto earn his opportunity.

Meanwhile, “Ahalkalakets” has remained active outside the Octagon, competing in various grappling and wrestling events while awaiting his shot to compete for UFC gold, all whilecontinuing to trade barbswith Topuria through social media and interviews.

During a recent appearance onTheAriel HelwaniShow, Ilia Topuria offered a pointed assessment of Arman Tsarukyan and his pursuits outside the UFC. “El Matador” delivered a scathing critique, emphasizing that while he respects Tsarukyan’s in-cage abilities, it is his recent antics and cultivated social media persona that he finds difficult to respect.

”I’m really impressed with how dumb he is,” Topuria said. “He’s a r*tard. I don’t know, he looks like a kid. He’s a kid.His mentality. He’s dumb as fu*k. Everything I saw about him on the internet is embarrassing. Fu*k Arman, who cares about him? The thing that I don’t like is when they play that they’re rich, and they show all that money. Bro, you’re not even rich… The only things that you have is money, and you’re spending your father’s money, not even yours. You know what I mean. He’s a fu*king kid.”

Ilia Topuria has not competed since his victory over Charles Oliveira. The 29-year-old Georgian-Spaniard remains undefeated at 17-0, including a 9-0 run in the UFC, with notable finishes overAlexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Bryce Mitchell.

Meanwhile, Tsarukyan was last seen in the Octagon at UFC Qatar in November, where he secured asecond-round submission victory over Dan Hookerto extend his winning streak to five. “Ahalkalakets” boasts a 23-3 professional record, including a 10-2 stint in the UFC, highlighted by victories over Oliveira andBeneil Dariush.

Source: LowKickMMA.com