‘Can Arman shock the world?’: Tim Welch on upcoming Tsarukyan-Makhachev fight

American UFC fighter Sean O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, shared his expectations for the UFC lightweight title fight between two Russians, Arman Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev.

Tsarukyan and Makhachev will fight for the title on January 19 at UFC 311 in Los Angeles.

“I think Arman’s going to give him a good fight. Is he going to be able to count on his wrestling for 25 minute, not make a mistake for 25 minutes? I don’t know. We’re going to find out. Islam is pound-for-pound for a reason. He’s so slick on his feet, he’s so well-rounded, his ground and pound is so good. His jiu-jitsu is so good. His wrestling is obviously on another level. Those guys wrestle since they’re young children. They’re just used to it. They’re comfortable. They’re there all the time. So we’ll see what happens. Can Arman shock the world?” Welch said on his YouTube channel.

Arman Tsarukyan has 22 wins in 25 fights. Islam Makhachev has fought 27 fights in MMA and won 26.