Israel Adesanya recently offered Arman Tsarukyan some public advice about his career choices.
Speaking in a YouTube video alongside Demetrious Johnson, the former middleweight champion said Tsarukyan should rethink how often he appears with streamers.
Adesanya argued that the 29-year-old cannot regularly hang out with influencers like Sneako, N3on and Nina Marie-Daniele if he wants to reach the top of the sport. His point was that title contenders need to stay locked in.
But whoever dishes it out has to know how to take it too. Tsarukyan did not ignore the advice, and his reply came with a sharp swipe back at ‘The Last Stylebender’.
Arman Tsarukyan fires back at Israel Adesanya on stream
Tsarukyan responded while appearing on Nina Drama’s stream this Friday.
He said: “When I have a fight, I like to be locked in, but when I don’t have a fight, I don’t like it. I don’t have fights coming up, so I can chill and enjoy my life. It’s better than drinking, Adesanya. It’s better to stream than drink.”
That final line appeared to reference Adesanya’s 2023 drink-driving case in New Zealand.
The former UFC champion pleaded guilty after being caught driving with excess alcohol in his system, before later receiving a discharge without conviction.
The exchange lands at an important moment for Tsarukyan, as Justin Gaethje has beaten Ilia Topuria, and the Armenian remains the number one contender at lightweight.
Despite that context, he does not appear likely to take Adesanya’s advice. For now, Tsarukyan’s message is clear: when he is not about to fight, he believes streaming is harmless.
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