After all, the champ is not interested in rematches.
No. 2-ranked lightweight contender, Justin Gaethje, is willing to step aside and give another 155-pound title hopeful the chance to battle Islam Makhachev when the reigning division champion makes his Octagon return in June (or July). On paper, that would clear the path for the winner of Arman Tsarukyan vs. Charles Oliveira, who collide at the UFC 300 mega-event on April 13 in Las Vegas.
In reality, Makhachev may opt to snub Tsarukyan in favor of a more lucrative fight against No. 3-ranked Dustin Poirier, who would probably outperform “Ahalkalakets” when it comes to pay-per-view (PPV) buys. In fact, former UFC heavyweight champion and current ESPN MMA analyst Daniel Cormier believes Makhachev should continue to stonewall Tsarukyan for the remainder of the year and close out 2024 with a Gaethje title defense.
“Islam and Tsarukyan would be probably the lowest-selling fight of all those fights, but it would be the absolute toughest,” Cormier said on YouTube (transcribed by MMA News). “Tsarukyan has a style that lends itself to being competitive against Makhachev. I believe the Tsarukyan fight is the toughest fight. I don’t know that it’s the most lucrative fight for Makhachev.”
Makhachev defeated Tsarukyan by unanimous decision back in 2019.
“Producer says, ‘Who should you want if you’re Islam Makhachev?’ Who you don’t want, honestly, is Arman Tsarukyan,” Cormier continued. “Not because you’re afraid of him, but you don’t really want it because it doesn’t seem to make sense. He needs a little bit more. Maybe he gets the rub from beating Charles Oliveira if he can this weekend. But I still don’t believe that it generates the revenue for you as the champion as a Dustin Poirier or a Justin Gaethje.”
Gaethje fights former featherweight champion Max Holloway for the “BMF” belt at UFC 300.
“So if I’m Islam Makhachev I’m doing exactly what I’m doing now,” Cormier said. “I’m insisting that you line me up with Dustin Poirier in July, then I’m insisting — if Justin Gaethje wins — you line me up with Justin Gaethje in October in Abu Dhabi. Or, if he doesn’t win, I’m saying I wanna fight Max Holloway. If I’m Islam, I want only names. Right now he’s won that belt, he’s defended that belt twice, but only against the 145-pound champion. He has not defended the belt against one of the bigger names in the weight class and for him, in terms of his wallet, that’s a really good thing. More title defenses, and the longer down the line that these names are, the better it is for you as a fighter.”
None of this matters unless Gaethje and Tsarukyan prevail at UFC 300.
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