A UFC lightweight championship bout between current kingpin Islam Makhachev and challengerArman Tsarukyan is set to headline UFC 311. The pay-per-view event will take place on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
While Tsarukyan enters the fight as the underdog, former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington believes an upset is possible. “Chaos” noted that if Tsarukyan can keep the fight on the feet, he has a realistic shot at dethroning the reigning champion.
Tsarukyan trains at American Top Team, Covington’s former gym, which is now preparing for its second consecutive lightweight title fight. “Chaos” expressed confidence in the challenger during an interview with Submission Radio.
“I do think he can get it done. I think he’s an athlete. Look how flexible he is. Look how he got out of that choke with Charles (Oliveira). That was impressive. He dug deep for that, and you know he’s got a better coach. He’s got a great coach. I believe in Arman. He’s an athlete. He’s got big power in his hands. If he believes in his hands, I think he can knock out Makhachev.”
This fight marks a rematch between Makhachev and Tsarukyan. They first faced off in April 2019 at a UFC Fight Night event in Moscow, where Makhachev secured a unanimous decision victory.
