Islam Makhachev, the undisputed UFC Lightweight champion, has several lightweights eager for a shot at his belt. Former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, and Charles Oliveira are a few to name. Topuria claimed that the UFC promised him a shot at Makhachev upon vacating his 145-pound title. This made Ben Askren say Makhachev should be stripped if he refuses to fight Topuria.
Meanwhile, the Heavyweight champion Jon Jones has not yet been stripped of his title despite his refusal to fight interim champion Tom Aspinall.
What Is Daniel Cormier Saying About the Double Standards Against Islam Makhachev?
Daniel Cormier is a close friend and former teammate of Islam Makhachev. He was also the fiercest opponent of Jon Jones, with whom he has a contentious relationship due to their rivalry.
In the recent Good Guy/Bad Guy episode, the 46-year-old didn’t hold back in defending the perceived double standards against his former teammate.
“What’s annoying to me is Islam Makhachev has said, ‘I don’t want to really fight Ilia Topuria because he’s a 45-pounder, and I’ve done that, give me somebody else.’ People are like, ‘Take the belt off of him, he should be stripped.’ I’ve seen reports, and I don’t know that these are true, where they’re like, it’s either strip or defend for Makhachev. Why?” Cormier questioned.
“DC” pointed out that Makhachev fought Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski (x2), and Renato Moicano in the last two years, meaning the Lightweight titleholder was an active champion.
“Like, he’s fought four times in the amount of time that the heavyweight champ’s fought once,” Cormier added, throwing shade at his former opponent.
Cormier first fought Jones at UFC 182, where “Bones” handed him his first defeat in professional MMA. Jones won the rematch at UFC 214 by TKO, but the California State Athletic Commission overturned the result to a no-contest after “Bones” tested positive for Turinabol, a banned substance.
Daniel Cormier Defends Islam Makhachev’s Stance on Ilia Topuria
Topuria, the former undisputed featherweight champion, vacated the title, announcing a move to Lightweight. Although many believed a title shot against Islam Makhachev would be next, the pound-for-pound king and his team have been against it.
In the recent Funky and the Champ episode, hosts Ben Askren and Daniel Cormier discussed the matter.
“Here would be my thing why, if you’re the champion, you’re supposed to defend the belt against the best person, right? So Ilia has beat two legends in a row, and not only beat them but finished them. 145 pounds – Volkanovski and Holloway,” Askren said.
Daniel Cormier countered the argument by stating the reception Islam Makhachev received after his first two title defenses, against Alexander Volkanovski, a featherweight who made up in weight.
READ: UFC’s Immediate Plan for Islam Makhachev Gets Leaked by 2 Top Lightweight Contenders
“Islam knocked him [Volkanovski] out, and after he knocked him out, all the talk was about, well, you just knocked out a featherweight. It doesn’t lend itself to much, I believe that that’s the push back,” Cormier replied.
The former two-division champion believes the same criticism will resurface if Makhachev defeats Topuria in a potential fight.