Paddy Pimblett lashes out at Arman Tsarukyan and downplays the Armenian's skills: 'Very bad'

Paddy Pimblett focused before fighting in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

In the final stretch of preparation to face Justin Gaethje in the main fight of UFC 324 next Saturday (24) with the interim lightweight title (up to 70,3 kg) at stake, Paddy Pimblett doesn't fail to pay attention to another name in the most populous category of MMA: Arman Tsarukyan . A black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and undefeated in the Ultimate, the Englishman made a point of downplaying the Armenian's grappling skills.

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During a conversation with Tom Aspinall right after a training session, Malvado cited Tsarukyan's performance against Dan Hooker , in his rival's last appearance in the octagon. On that occasion, he dominated the New Zealander with takedowns and strong strikes on the ground, but had to defend against submission attempts by Hooker.

“An amateur (from my academy) could do well against Dan Hooker . Dan Hooker doesn't know how to fight jiu-jitsu. I like watching him fight. He's a brawler, that's all. He doesn't know jiu-jitsu… and he almost finished him with a guillotine choke. That shows how bad Arman's grappling is compared to mine. If I catch you in a guillotine choke, you'll pass out,” he stated in a video published on the heavyweight champion's (up to 120 kg) YouTube channel.

😬 Paddy Pimblett goes off on Arman Tsarukyan ’s performance against Dan Hooker :

"An amauter [from my gym] could look good against Dan Hooker . Dan Hooker doesn't know how to do jiu-jitsu.

I like watching him fight. He's a scrapper, that's all he is. He can't do jiu-jitsu… and… pic.twitter.com/9gZN86hP6D

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 18, 2026

Tsarukyan was passed over by Dana White, while Pimblett was favored.

Arman Tsarukyan in victory at UFC. Photo: Reproduction/@UFC

Despite being ranked number one in the division, Arman Tsarukyan was passed over by Dana White when choosing the next challenger, and now awaits the unfolding of the division's next chapters to see who will finally realize their dream of winning the belt of the world's largest MMA organization.

In this context, he has been venturing into grappling competitions. Recently, he competed against other well-known names in the sport, such as Patricky Pitbull , Benson Henderson, and Shara Magomedov.

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