Arman Tsarukyan has never sounded shy about where he sees himself in the lightweight pecking order, and his latest comments made that crystal clear while also dragging Conor McGregor and Max Holloway into the same conversation. Asked about a possible matchup between McGregor and Holloway, Tsarukyan gave a direct answer that instantly turned into a headline.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Tsarukyan said:
“That’s a good fight, but I think it’s stylistically a good fight for Conor.”
That was only the start. He followed it with a much harsher assessment of where Holloway stands now after a long career of wars, title fights, and mileage against elite competition.
Tsarukyan said, “… Max is done already. He’s just going to make money and then retire. He’s not that Max anymore. He was so bad. Last fight he looked so bad, it’s crazy. I was surprised. How you cannot wrestle? Zero wrestling. You’ve been in this sport for 20 years and you cannot even defend a takedown from Charles Olivera. Charles Olivera has no takedowns. He’s good at jiu-jitsu, but wrestling? I’ve never seen him wrestle very well. But he took him down like — it was like a masterclass in wrestling from Charles. I thought he went to Dagestan for 2-3 years and then come back.”
Watch the full interview below:
Tsarukyan ties Holloway criticism to a bigger prediction about lightweight
Those comments were not just a shot at Holloway. Tsarukyan also used the moment to plant his flag on what he thinks happens next in the division. He sees the current era moving toward the exit and a new one getting ready to take over.
Tsarukyan said, “He has 3-4 fights left, and then he’s going to retire. Our division is going to change soon. The king is going to be me, and we’re going to have big new names coming up.”
The McGregor-Holloway angle is still hypothetical, but Tsarukyan’s logic is easy to follow from a matchmaking perspective. McGregor always brings huge business. Holloway still brings star power and a résumé fans respect. Even after a setback, Holloway remains one of the most recognizable names tied to lighter-weight title conversations. That makes the fight sellable immediately, even if plenty of people will disagree with Tsarukyan’s read on where Holloway is physically and competitively.
What Tsarukyan really did here was push two messages at once. He framed a potential McGregor return fight, and he reminded everyone he expects to own the division when the current cycle turns over. Whether that prediction becomes reality or not, he made sure the lightweight conversation included his name again.
For anyone tracking where the division could go next, any McGregor comeback scenario immediately changes the market, and Tsarukyan clearly wants his own future mentioned right alongside it.
