Pretense? Arman Tsarukyan accuses Ilia Topuria of lying about his wealth on social media

Ilia Topuria is the UFC lightweight champion. Photo: Instagram/UFC

The rivalry between Arman Tsarukyan e Ilia Topuria has gained a new, and at the very least curious, layer. While seeking an opportunity to return to the Octagon, the Armenian decided to question the Georgian/Spanish fighter's ostentatious social media display. For the first-place lightweight (up to 70,3 kg), the champion took to social media to question the veracity of the financial lifestyle El Matador portrayed on social media.

See too

Former champion supports Dana White in vetoing Jon Jones at UFC Casa Branca: 'If it were me, I'd tell him to f*** off'

Commentator advises Volkanovski to avoid rematch with Diego Lopes: 'More dangerous fight'

Glover Teixeira predicts a 'brutal' first round in Alex Poatan's rematch with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320

Tsarukyan, the son of a wealthy construction businessman in Armenia, specifically addressed photos posted by Topuria on jet planes. He said the current lightweight champion's (up to 70,3 kg) pay wouldn't be high enough to cover these trips.

"He tries to pretend he's incredibly rich, but really, I think he flies regular planes. He doesn't make enough money to fly private jets from the United States to Europe or Georgia. Because even if he made $2 to $3 million, just a round-trip jet trip would cost $400 to $500."

Arman Tsarukyan says Ilia Topuria is trying to make himself seem rich by flexing flying on private jets

"He tries to make it look like he's insanely rich, but in reality I think he's flying on regular planes. He doesn't make that kind of money to be flying private jets from… pic.twitter.com/nOnWBTJmmf

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 18, 2025

Topuria is one of the biggest stars in the UFC today.

Ilia Topuria poses with two UFC belts after victory against Charles of the Bronx. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

Undefeated in 17 professional fights and ranked first in the Ultimate pound-for-pound rankings, Ilia Topuria He's also one of the most popular figures in sports, with over 11,4 million followers on Instagram alone. However, since pay-per-view package sales figures are no longer released to the press, it's impossible to accurately determine his commercial size.

The North American Athletic Commissions have also not disclosed fighter salaries since 2020. Therefore, these amounts are usually estimated by specialized companies. After the knockout victory against Charles of the Bronx No. UFC 317, the 'Give Me Sport' website evaluated the payment from Georgian/Spanish in about US$ 3,54 million (R$ 18,7 million at the current exchange rate).