Arman Tsarukyan Continues Ilia Topuria Mockery With Savage ‘17–1’ DM After Gaethje Loss
Ilia Topuria's bloody defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 has given his critics plenty of ammunition, and few have enjoyed the moment more than his bitter rival Arman Tsarukyan.
Arman Tsarukyan’s latest DM jibe at Ilia Topuria goes viral
Tsarukyan recently shared a screenshot of a direct message he sent to Topuria following the latter's knockout loss to Gaethje. The message read: "Ilia, as soon as the Face ID starts working, change it to 17-1."
Savage! The joke referenced both the brutal nature of the Georgian-born-Spaniard’s defeat and the blemish that now sits on his once-perfect professional record. Before running into Gaethje, Topuria had built a stellar unbeaten resume, establishing himself as one of the sport’s up-and-coming superstars.
However, that streak came crashing down when “The Highlight” reconfigured his face over four rounds, handing the two-time champ his first UFC career loss.
For Tsarukyan, though, the DM was simply the latest chapter in an ongoing campaign of mockery aimed at Topuria. Ever since tensions began escalating between the two lightweight contenders, Tsarukyan has repeatedly questioned Topuria and taken public digs at him across social media.
The Round 4 TKO loss only intensified those exchanges. While several fighters reacted to the upset, Tsarukyan appeared determined to make sure Topuria never forgot it. Sharing the private message online quickly drew attention from fans, many of whom saw it as another sign of simmering bad blood between the two.
In comparison, the Armenian grappler is 12-2-0 in the UFC, suffering two decisions, first against Islam Makhachev in his debut and then to Mateusz Gamrot back in 2022.
Tsarukyan cashes in $5.7 million and plans to buy Gaethje a new truck
Beyond the satisfaction of seeing his prediction come true, Topuria's defeat proved extremely lucrative for Tsarukyan.
Days before the fight, the No. 2-ranked lightweight publicly backed Gaethje to pull off the upset and shared images of a $1 million wager on the former interim champion. While UFC fighters have been prohibited from betting on fights since 2022, UFC CEO Dana White later clarified that the bet was placed through one of Tsarukyan's friends.
Regardless, Tsarukyan has celebrated the result as his own, claiming he and his associate turned the wager into a staggering $5.7 million payday.
The celebration soon turned into discussions about gift-giving. During the post-fight press conference, White joked that Tsarukyan should buy Gaethje a RAM truck after cashing such a massive ticket.
The veteran immediately embraced the idea. Gaethje welcomed the suggestion, revealing that he's overdue for a new truck and is still using the truck he bought after his win over Tony Ferguson in 2020.
Tsarukyan later confirmed that he intends to fulfill the promise. During an exclusive with Ariel Helwani, he noted, “Of course (I will get him a truck), I just need to find out what color he wants and I'll bring him a truck, a RAM truck.”
The 29-year-old even joked that he might try to secure a discount since RAM is one of the UFC's sponsors, before adding that it would not matter if he had to pay full price.
For now, Tsarukyan is enjoying both the financial windfall and the chance to needle one of his biggest rivals. And judging by his latest messages, he has no intention of letting Topuria forget how UFC Freedom 250 ended.
