Daniel Cormier does not see Justin Gaethje fighting Conor McGregor next.
Gaethje won the UFC lightweight title from Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Arman Tsarukyan has made a strong case for the first shot, knocking out Mauricio Ruffy with an elbow in the first round at UFC 331. A Topuria rematch and a McGregor fight have also come up.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier said Gaethje faces tough choices either way.
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.
He does not believe McGregor is an option while Gaethje holds the belt.
Now, Conor McGregor fight, Justin said, absolutely. But to me, that fight is just not possible because he’s the world champion.
Cormier also responded to the idea of Gaethje giving up the title to make the fight happen.
I read somewhere where he said he would vacate the belt to fight Conor. You can’t do that. You can’t do that. It would harm his legacy to give away the belt and put value in the money fight over being a world champion, and I can’t imagine Justin Gaethje would do that.
Gaethje has said he would rather fight McGregor than avenge his losses to Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira.
McGregor is not expected back until at least summer 2027. He suffered ACL and meniscus injuries in his UFC 329 loss to Holloway in July, his first fight in five years. He has not won a fight since January 2020.
Jose Aldo said this week that he believes McGregor should return at lightweight.
