Daniel Cormier has dismissed Arman Tsarukyan’s suggestion for an interim title fight while Islam Makhachev recovers from his injury.
Makhachev is out with a hand injury from his UFC 302 fight and won’t be ready for UFC 308. When he returns, he’s set to face Arman Tsarukyan, who recently suggested the possibility of an interim title fight if the Dagestani can’t compete this year due to his injury.
Cormier, who is a close friend and former teammate of Makhachev, doesn’t think an interim title fight is necessary, given the champ’s recent activity in the Octagon.
In a recent episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen, Cormier explained why an interim title fight makes no sense.
“You get hurt, at times. Islam Makhachev has been active. He fought in October in Abu Dhabi against Alexander Volkanovski, he fought in [June] in Newark,” Cormier said. “If he was to fight in October, it would’ve been three fights in a calendar year. There is no need for an interim championship! When in the world did we start to speak titles into existence?
“Could you imagine, Chael, if when you were chasing down Anderson Silva, you go ‘Well, I’ll fight for the interim title! He ain’t ready in six months!’. And they’d say ‘Okay, Chael, you get to fight Brian Stann’. You would’ve said ‘Oh my god! I’m about to be a world champion!’. Who does Tsarukyan even fight for an interim championship? Why do we create belts, or at least trying? It just doesn’t need to be, when the champion has fought twice in seven months and is not going to be gone for that long.”
Makhachev won the lightweight title from Oliveira at UFC 280. He followed that up with two victories over Alexander Volkanovski in 2023 and recently defeated Dustin Poirier.
Do you agree with Daniel Cormier?
