Ilia Topuria has been questioned as to whether he is ‘ducking’ Arman Tsarukyan – in the same way Jon Jones failed to meet Tom Aspinall.That is according to UFC icon Michael Bisping who has posed an interesting theory over Topuria’s discussions over his first title defence.Topuria has yet to select his next challengerGetty‘El Matador’ recently was crowned the king of the 155lbs division after brutally knocking out Charles Oliveira. He has been inundated with call-outs since becoming champion including from Paddy Pimblett, who climbed into the cage just moments after the win.One of those offers came from No.1 ranked Tsarukyan, but Topuria insisted he was not interested in a clash.And British MMA icon Bisping, who himself reigned as a middleweight champion, believes it could be similar to the approach of ‘Bones’.“Is Ilia Topuria pulling a Jon Jones?” Bisping asked. “Because Arman Tsarukyan is a real threat to anybody. “He is a tremendous fighter. I know a lot of people discredit him for pulling out at the last minute, and rightly so, that’s not a good look. “However, he’s a really, really good fighter, simple as that. He can do it all.He’s got the striking, the wrestling, the cardio, the strength. “He’s very young, he’s in his prime. The man’s an absolute monster. Ilia Topuria said if the UFC made him fight Arman Tsarukyan, he would vacate the belt.“[Topuria] doesn’t want to fight him. He wants nothing to do with Arman Tsarukyan. So now Arman Tsarukyan’s out there. He’s making videos of little ducks. “He’s doing a Tom Aspinall, taking a duck wherever he went with him. Remember that whole saga with Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall? … But now we’ve got a new version. GettyTsarukyan is furious with Topuria’s stance[/caption]“You could say that Ilia’s only doing this to get under the skin of Arman Tsarukyan, but it’s not a good look.“If you’re the champion – just like when Jon Jones was the champion – if you’re the champion, you’ve got to fight the interim champ if there is one.”Jones was in talks with heavyweight contender Aspinall, but they broke down after a lengthy stalemate.‘Bones’ then retired from the UFC, which saw the Briton crowned champion after he vacated the belt.But it lead to widespread allegations that he ‘ducked’ Aspinall’s challenge.Topuria still remains the man to beat and is likely to fight again before the end of 2025.Jones could still face Aspinall after making a retirement U-turnGETTYHe currently sits atop of the pound-for-pound rankings, and has yet to be beaten during his stellar time in the UFC.The likes of Gaethje and Pimblett believe they have the capability to capture the crown from Topuria.And as a result the champion himself expects these two contenders to be the main options imposed by the UFC.“I think that they are going to try to push for Justin [Gaethje],” Topuria said. “Or Paddy [Pimblett]. It’s not in the conversation about Arman [Tsarukyan].