Ilia Topuria reacts to Arman Tsarukyan's callout

Ilia Topuria has reacted to Arman Tsarukyan calling him out and saying You are running from the fight.

The UFC lightweight champion cornered Aleksandre Topuria, his brother, to victory in Doha on Saturday.

Tsarukyan made a statement with a dominant victory over Dan Hooker through submission later in the evening at UFC Qatar main event.

After the fight, he called out Ilia Topuria and accused him of ‘running’ from the bout.

"We have to face each other; there is only one No. 1 contender, and it's Arman Tsarukyan," Tsarukyan said.

"Don't make an easy fight. I'm ready, end of January. Send me the contract, and I'll be there."

Topuria reacted to Arman’s callout on Sunday morning by sharing his response in a post on X.

Georgian-Spanish MMA fighter shared footage of a previous meeting with Arman Tsarukyan, in which he was touching Armenian’s face during a seemingly friendly backstage exchange.

“Arman, every time we see each other in person, you freeze up like a scared duck with no idea what to do,” Topuria tweeted.

“You know I handle you however I want. I fight whoever the UFC chooses. And remember I slapped you and you just laughed, then you go around acting like a gangster.

“So keep going, you’re on the right path… just a few levels below me, kid.”

Since defeating Charles Oliveira in June to become the lightweight champion, Topuria has not competed.

Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje are his most likely choices for his first defence.

Former featherweight champion has indicated that he would like to move up once more to take on Islam Makhachev at welterweight.