The next step in Ilia Topuria's career remains undecided after he lost the lightweight belt to Justin Gaethje at the White House event, according to ABC España. Among the options under discussion is a bout with Paddy Pimblett, a matchup that has drawn comment from leading names in the division.
Arman Tsarukyan, who beat Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 to stake his own claim as a lightweight title contender, was the latest to weigh in, saying the result is hard to predict.
"Either [Ilia] is going to look super good and knock out Paddy, or he is going to lose against him because Paddy has a good jaw and good cardio. It's a 50-50," Tsarukyan said, as reported by ABC España.
The Armenian fighter's assessment runs counter to predictions that had placed Topuria as the favourite in a hypothetical meeting with Pimblett.