Ilia Topuria has been living like a king. Or at least, that’s the image he’s projecting. The UFC lightweight champion, fresh off knockout wins over Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway, and Alexander Volkanovski, now insists he flies only on private jets. In a stream with the Nelk Boys a while back, he claimed that “A private jet saves a ton of time” and that it costs him “$200,000” to fly from Spain to the U.S. and back.
But not everyone is buying it, especially not Arman Tsarukyan, who came out with a bold reality check and some receipts! During a recent interview clip shared by Championship Rounds on X, Tsarukyan was asked directly about Topuria’s claims. Could he afford $200,000 trips himself? And would he ever want to fly private like that?
The no. 2-ranked lightweight contender immediately fired back with, “No, come on. Where is he even flying? I don’t think he’s flying from America on private jets, because after the Oliveira fight, he was flying somewhere on United (Airlines). Some people filmed him on the plane. I’m saying he tries to make it look like he’s insanely rich, but in reality I think he’s flying on regular planes.”
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The Armenian lightweight didn’t stop there. He added, “Well there’s a video after the Oliveira fight, he’s sitting there with his wife on a regular United Airlines flight going somewhere. He doesn’t make that kind of money to be flying private jets from America to Europe or Georgia. Because even if he made 2-3 million dollars, just one round trip on a jet would cost him $400K – $500K.”
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As per Celebrity Net Worth, ‘El Matador’ currently boasts a net worth of $2 million, which does lend some weight to Tsarukyan’s claims. But this feud isn’t just about money. It’s also about image. Ilia Topuria has been styled as the UFC’s next megastar, drawing comparisons to Conor McGregor. The private jets, the luxury lifestyle, the bold predictions, these are all part of the package.
But Arman Tsarukyan seems determined to pull back the curtain. And here’s where it gets interesting. Tsarukyan himself isn’t short on cash. Earlier this year, Henry Cejudo claimed on his Pound 4 Pound podcast that Tsarukyan comes from a wealthy family, with his father worth as much as $100 million! For him, there’s no need to invent stories about $200,000 flights.
However, this isn’t the only feud Ilia Topuria has been wrapped up in. Recently, the UFC lightweight champion also found himself getting aimed at by Terence Crawford as the boxer delivered a scathing response to ‘El Matador’!
Ilia Topuria brushed off by Terence Crawford as not being on the same level of stardom as Conor McGregor
The feud with Tsarukyan was one thing. But now Ilia Topuria has another high-profile critic, boxing’s Terence Crawford. ‘Bud’ cemented his name in the history books by beating Canelo Alvarez to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion. Before the fight, ‘El Matador’ had claimed on social media that he could knock him out if they ever stepped into the ring together.
However, according to Crawford in a recent interview, he wasn’t even aware of Topuria as he confessed, “When he saw me at the UFC and came up to shake my hand and said what’s up to me… I didn’t even know who he was, then I see him online talking about how he’ll knock me out in the first round. That’s fake. I’m not gonna go hide behind the keyboard. I definitely think he’s trying to clout chase… He’s not nowhere near on the level of Conor McGregor, let’s be real. Stop it.”
Those lines cut hard. Crawford even used Topuria’s walkout song on fight night, which seemingly came across as a public taunt more than a compliment. For a boxer of Crawford’s stature, dismissing Topuria is a message.
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However, the UFC champion fired back immediately with, “You say you’re an MMA fan, but you don’t even know who I am? Interesting the first time we met, you told me, ‘Good luck this week with your fight.’ Your memory fails you… And soon your chin will too. I’ll represent the entire MMA community. Pound-for-pound #1 in real fights vs. the pound-for-pound boxer.”