Arman Tsarukyan defends coach after Chimaev loss criticism

Arman Tsarukyan has come to the defense of strength and conditioning coach Sam Calavitta following criticism over Khamzat Chimaev's preparation for his UFC 327 loss.

The lightweight contender pushed back on claims that Calavitta overtrained Chimaev in the lead-up to the middleweight title bout, which Carlos Ulberg won by submission in the third round. Tsarukyan told fans that Chimaev's final training session in the garage lasted just 15 to 20 minutes, dismissing suggestions that excessive work contributed to the loss.

Tsarukyan fires back at overtraining narrative

"Because he lost, everyone is saying he's doing the wrong things and that he overtrained," Tsarukyan said in a video posted to social media, per Sherdog. "But Khamzat's last training session in the garage was only 15-20 minutes."

Calavitta has worked with multiple UFC fighters at his California facility, which features unconventional equipment and high-intensity sessions. Critics pointed to footage of Chimaev's final workouts as evidence of poor fight-week management, but Tsarukyan argued the backlash is result-driven rather than evidence-based.

Tsarukyan faces Colby Covington at Royal Albert Hall in London on June 21, where he looks to rebound from his own title-shot defeat to Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January.

Source: sherdog.com