Arman Tsarukyan stands as a former rival of Khamzat Chimaev. The two locked horns for a grappling match in the Russian fighting-based reality show, HYPE Global Reality, during the buildup of Tsarukyan’s cancelled fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 310. Both fighters looked hell-bent on winning the encounter inside the cage, but the fight seemed to have improved Chimaev and Tsarukyan’s personal relationship.
Lately, Chimaev was elated after witnessing Tsarukyan win his recent Karate Combat grappling match against a fighter from Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagles MMA. Chimaev also took a moment to congratulate his former grappling rival after his noteworthy feat.
Khamzat Chimaev Congratulated Arman Tsarukyan Without Using a Single Word
An Instagram post from Karate Combat’s official account highlighted Tsarukyan’s recent victory in a grappling match at Karate Combat 54 against Eagles MMA’s Makkasharip Zaynukov. Chimaev congratulated Tsarukyan by sharing the post on his Instagram story, along with a congratulatory expression. ‘Borz’ appreciated ‘Ahalkalakets’s’ feat with an emoji instead of using words.
He mentioned, “@arm_011 [Tsarukyan’s Instagram username] 🥇”
Chimaev holds an undefeated pro-MMA record of 14-0 primarily because of his dominant grappling skills. Despite boasting a few TKO victories on his resume, Chimaev trusts his ground game much more to get the better of his rivals in his fights. In his previous fight, Chimaev’s annihilation of the former Middleweight Champ, Robert Whittaker, bears testimony to how he dominates his rivals with his class-apart grappling.
Chimaev has also trained with a few UFC athletes. ‘Borz’ used to be a training partner of the former UFC middleweight, Darren Till. Several videos on the web showcase these two training, striking and grappling, together. One of Chimaev’s previous feuds with the former Middleweight Champ, Sean Strickland, disclosed that he had also trained with ‘Tarzan’.
Chimaev proved himself worthy of a shot at the middleweight title with two straight victories over Kamaru Usman and Whittaker after moving to the division in 2023. The reigning champ, Dricus Du Plessis, has also expressed his openness to the fight multiple times.
READ: ‘Definitely Not UFC Approved’ – Fans React After Arman Tsarukyan Is Set for Grappling Match Against Islam Makhachev’s Teammate
The two potential rivals have also started firing shots at each other on social media. However, the UFC authorities have yet to announce the timeline of this eagerly awaited encounter.
Well, it won’t be wrong to expect that Tsarukyan will also be watching the encounter, given the friendly interpersonal relationship between him and Chimaev. Tsarukyan might also decide to reciprocate Chimaev’s wholesomeness by congratulating him if he manages to come out victorious against Du Plessis.