Despite the criticism surrounding his interim title fight at UFC 324, Daniel Cormier thinks everything is going well.
Many fans and pundits were unhappy with Arman Charukian (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) not participating in the interim lightweight title fight and the UFC selecting Justin Gaethje (27-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) to face Paddy Pimblett (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC).
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But with Gaethje defeating Pimblett to capture the interim belt at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last month, Cormier said the UFC now has another U.S. champion. Gaethje expects his title fight with lightweight champion Ilia Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) to take place at the UFC White House event in June.
“It feels like a massive fight that deserves to be on such an important card,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Topriya is who he is, Gaethje is who he is, an American with a UFC title — look, the UFC booked Paddy Pimblett against Justin Gaethje. (If) Paddy Pimblett wins, you’ve got a star who’s going to fight Elijah for the belt.
“Justin Gaethje won, (and) now you have an American guy who’s part-time champion in a fight that’s going to be held at the White House in June. It’s a no-lose situation, and I honestly don’t know how we missed it. Everybody’s going to be like, ‘Well, why that guy, why not Oman?’ Now it kind of makes sense because now that Gaethje has the belt, you’ve got an American guy with the title in the White House. Either way, it’s valid. It makes more sense to me now.”
Another current U.S. UFC champion is women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, who recently pulled out of her first title defense against Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 after undergoing neck surgery. The timetable for her return is unclear.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Analyst: Justin Gaethje Title Benefits on White House Card
