Is the lightweight division facing the same problem as the heavyweight division? You might ask — what problem? The problem of stagnation. However, the key difference is that while Jon Jones is unwilling to fight, Islam Makhachev has an abundance of contenders. The lightweight division is incredibly stacked right now, with nearly everyone in the top five appearing to be a legitimate title contender. To complicate matters further, Ilia Topuria’s potential move to the 155 lbs division has made the landscape even more confusing. Amid all the uncertainty, Joe Rogan has stepped forward with a suggestion for Dana White — a possible way out of this dilemma.

Ilia Topuria has relinquished his featherweight title to move up to the lightweight division, a decision by the Georgian-Spanish fighter that has sparked numerous questions within the MMA community. One of the most prominent is whether Topuria has traded his title for a potential matchup with Islam Makhachev. Well, that’s the dilemma; the reigning lightweight champion has refused to fight with Ilia Topuria.

So, what’s the solution for this? Well, Joe Rogan in his recent Fight Companion has come forward to give a way out to Dana White. How? Well, according to the multi-million-dollar worth podcaster, the dilemma of Islam Makhachev can be solved by booking a fight between Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria. “So, we’ll see what happens with that one. There are a lot of good fights coming up, and I’m curious to see what Miami does with Topuria. I also liked what you were saying about Topuria Vs. Oliveira”

Brendan Schaub suggested that Ilia Topuria might not have relinquished his title without having some certainty in hand, possibly in the form of a fight against Islam Makhachev. Well, let us give you a perspective on why the entire lightweight situation is confusing. ‘El Matador’ has refused to fight any contender fight, as he demands Islam Makhachev. Team Khabib, on the other hand, has refused to entertain Topuria without any contender fight.

In addition to that Charles Oliveira has come forward to demand any fight other than Ilia Topuria as he doesn’t consider him a big fight. Confused? Well, wait for more than Arman Tsarukyan, who is supposed to be the number-one contender for the title, had to start his journey all over again as Dana White has refused to entertain him after his UFC 311 exodus. As the top stakeholders of the division are indecisive, things are starting to get out of hand for the UFC CEO to handle.

So, what will be the fate of the division? That is yet to be seen, but one thing is certain and that’s the fact that Dana White should be quick with its most premium division. Interestingly, Daniel Cormier has come forward to back Ilia Topuria in his demands.

Daniel Cormier backs Ilia Topuria despite Islam Makhachev’s denial

Who will be Islam Makhachev’s biggest opponent? Will it be Charles Oliveira, will it be Ilia Topuria or will he jump to the welterweight division? The Dagestani might have denied clashing against ‘El Matador,’ however, Daniel Cormier believes that Makhachev should test his skills against the Topuria.

While having a conversation with Chael Sonnen on ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy,’ Cormier emphasized, “I think Topuria should get an opportunity. Because I wouldn’t want to waste it. We keep talking about Topuria, you and I [Chael]. And I think the sentiment that we share with each other is what most feel. He’s a good-looking kid! He seems to have that star quality. He has a country behind him with Spain.”

He further added, “You don’t want to waste it because those guys are dangerous. Oliveira is dangerous, Tsarukyan is dangerous and everybody’s dangerous. You may want to put him in that title fight because you don’t want to waste the opportunity. Because what if he doesn’t get there, because one of the other guys beats him.”

Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev would sell like hotcakes. However, for this to happen, Dana White will have to throw a deal that Team Khabib couldn’t refuse. Given that, what are your thoughts on the hubbub? State your opinion in the comments below.