Dana White never stepped back from being assertive. The way he dealt with the Conor McGregor situation back in 2018 is proof enough of that. No one can deny McGregor’s impact on the promotion. Still, White did not hesitate to take drastic action against him. McGregor won his lightweight title in November 2016 with a knockout victory over Eddie Alvarez. This made him the first man in UFC history to hold championships in two divisions simultaneously since he already had the featherweight title that he had won in December 2015. However, he never defended any of the titles.

So, shortly after he grabbed the 155-pound belt, the UFC stripped him of his featherweight belt. Then again, in April 2018, McGregor was stripped off his lightweight belt as well. Understandably, the fighter did not have any good words to say on social media. But White stayed on his own. More recently, White had said that he might take a similar approach to the Jon Jones-Tom Aspinall fiasco. The UFC head honcho was asked if stripping could be an option in case Jon does not commit to the fight in the coming months. “100 percent. If we don’t get the fight done, we move on, and we make another fight,” White had said. Well, a similar deadlock is there in the lightweight division.

The UFC lightweight division is in limbo, with Islam Makhachev still seeking an opponent and competitors waiting for a shot at his title. Ilia Topuria has advanced from featherweight, Charles Oliveira is vying for a second chance, and Justin Gaethje remains in the mix after his recent win over Rafael Fiziev. With no clear direction, Daniel Cormier and Ben Askren analyzed the issue, attempting to make sense of the delays. While Cormier saw the broader picture, Askren wasn’t as patient. As per the MMA legend, it’s time for Dana White to step in.

Askren believes the UFC should take strict measures if Makhachev continues to postpone his next fight. “I think Dana should just do Dana stuff and just say, Hey, Islam, if you don’t want to fight, you’re stripped. He’s done that. That is in Dana’s repertoire,” he said. However, ‘DC’ denied that Makhachev was avoiding anyone. Instead, he believes the champion is being clever, particularly after his fights against Alexander Volkanovski.

As per Cormier, facing another former featherweight in Topuria may not be the move Makhachev wants right now, especially given the criticism he received after defeating Volkanovski. “Granted, it was the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world at the time, Volkanovski, and after he knocked him out, all the talk was about, well, you just knocked out a featherweight. People are still going to say, Well, you just beat a featherweight.” Cormier suggested that Makhachev’s most likely opponent would be Justin Gaethje. What’s the logic? Gaethje is an established lightweight, a fan favorite, and a well-known fighter. However, Askren still looked unconvinced.

After all, Gaethje had recently lost to Max Holloway. If meritocracy was important in the Dana White-led promotion, then the Spanish-Georgian should be the one given the title shot. However, the tough pill to swallow for many fighters is the fact that the UFC does not always function solely on rankings; name value and business potential are also important considerations, and Ben Askren can clearly see it at this point. But it is also worth noting that if you keep a man on the sidelines for too long, he may lose his edge. And with the constant callouts by Ilia Topuria, ‘DC’ fears the Spanish-Georgian is losing his ‘aura.’

Daniel Cormier fears Ilia Topuria is losing his element

Ilia Topuria stormed into the lightweight division, calling out champions and threatening to take over. What about now? He’s stuck. There is no fight, no legitimate title shot, and no real clarity about what comes next. The more he is in limbo, the slower his momentum becomes. This is exactly what Daniel Cormier is concerned about. Fighters are judged not only on their records but also on their presence, hype, and ability to captivate the globe. As per ‘DC,’ the Spanish-Georgian is in danger of losing the magic that has made him feel like the next big thing.

For ‘DC,’ it’s more than simply talent. He’s seen lots of excellent fighters drop out because they waited too long or made the incorrect moves. Topuria’s confidence is evident; he relinquished his featherweight title without hesitation, counting on himself to take over at 155. “You want that security; you want that blanket of comfort to say. If it goes sideways, I still got my other belt. No, I’m not doing that. I’m just going up; I’m going to go and fight at 155. I’m staying there, let these other guys get a chance to become champions. Will that work out in the long run? I don’t know. But he carries this aura of invincibility about him right now, and that is what is allowing him to make these types of decisions.”

But confidence can only take you so far if you don’t enter the cage. The storyline changes with each day that passes without a fight announcement. People cease referring to him as the next champion and instead start questioning if he jumped the gun. This is how quickly things change in the UFC. So, what is the next move?

Cormier believes there are only two viable possibilities left: Justin Gaethje or Arman Tsarukyan. Both are dangerous, and neither will warmly welcome Topuria to lightweight. However, waiting is just as dangerous as fighting at this point. In the UFC, being relevant is half the game, and ‘El Matador’ is currently running out of time. What do you think? Should it be Ilia Topuria who faces Islam Makhachev next? Let us know in the comments.