UFC commentator Daniel Cormier shared his thoughts on what is a tough decision for UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje to make.
Gaethje stopped Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 in June to capture the undisputed UFC lightweight title, but he hasn’t decided what he wants to do next in his career, as he could fight again, or he could walk away at he top of his game.
Daniel Cormier on Justin Gaethje vs. Arman Tsarukyan
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier suggested that Gaethje vs. top contender Arman Tsarukyan should be the next fight, but he said if Cormier takes the match and wins it, it becomes a slippery slope, as it makes stepping away from the game even more difficult.
“He said he’s got the Arman door, if he ever wants to open it and fight that fight. Arman Tsarukyan at this point is a massive star. People love him for what he has done outside of mixed martial arts to make himself viable, but (Gaethje is) a big underdog in that fight. Probably bigger than he should be, especially after what people saw him do at UFC Freedom 250, but then the question becomes, as Justin said himself, he had the performance of his life. Can he replicate that again? Which he would need to in order to get past Arman Tsarukyan and does he even want to?” Cormier said (via MMAFighting.com).
“If he wins, then the money will just get bigger, and there will be that pull to come back again. It never stops. Because the way that the game works is the champion is supposed to go when his time is gone. When the time is gone, when his time is over, someone shows that champion the door. But if that champion still seems to have fight, money will come to you, and that draw – whether you do this for money or not – that draw is very hard to turn away from. There is no easy option for Justin Gaethje, because even in retiring, it’s hard. Even if staying and winning again, it’s hard, because there’s always going to be a pull to do it again.”
Could Justin Gaethje Rematch Ilia Topuria?
UFC president Dana White has already said that Gaethje could potentially fight Topuria in a rematch next, but that could be a very dangerous option if the champ takes it, said Cormier.
“Ilia Topuria as a second option. But again, that’s dangerous, because while Justin got the job done, there are moments where Ilia hurt him, and Justin, to his credit, has spoken about the fight, spoken about the game plan, and you would expect Ilia to go and try to fix the areas where he may have struggled. Justin said, his rhythm, his timing, and he was timing his stuff with his punches. … Ilia will go and improve that. He will go and fix that. I would like to see the odds for an Ilia Topuria rematch. Even that, if Justin did go down that path, to his point, what’s he got to prove? He beat him on the biggest stage that the UFC has ever been on. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t really seem like it would suit him,” Cormier said.
Daniel Cormier Reflects on Tough Decision for Justin Gaethje