“Should he get stripped?” – Jon Jones catches one as old rival Daniel Cormier baffled by calls to strip Islam Makhachev

Jon Jones favoritism baffles Daniel Cormier, with UFC title double standards and calls for stripping champ Islam Makhachev.

“Should he get stripped?” – Jon Jones catches one as old rival Daniel Cormier baffled by calls to strip Islam Makhachev

Daniel Cormier against stripping Islam Makhachev, when Jon Jones wasn't (Source: IMAGO/X)

Daniel Cormier has no sympathy for those who are in favor of Islam Makhachev being stripped of his UFC lightweight title. The longtime reigning 155-pound champ has been an exemplary one and has made a historic number of defenses. On the flip side, where someone like Jon Jones gets preferential treatment despite a logjam, Cormier is confused.

Islam Makhachev has been a good brand champ and provided healthy scraps against all who were placed in front. However, there are rumors of stripping him on the off-chance he goes for a second 170-pound gold. This comes in light of Ilia Topuria moving up to lightweight and shooting for a title shot. Daniel Cormier — who has had his taste at dual-straps — weighs in on the matter:

You know what’s annoying to me is Islam Makhachev has said, ‘I don’t want really to fight Ilia Topuria because he’s a ‘45er and I’ve done that. Give me somebody else.’ People are like, ‘Take the belt off of him…’ I’ve seen reports, and I don’t even know that they’re true, it’s either strip or defend for Makhachev. Why? …He fought four times in the amount of time that the heavyweight champion fought once.

Daniel ‘DC’ Cormier on his ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ Show

With 16-1 UFC stats, Islam Makhachev has an array of fights under his proverbial belt. He fought Alexander Volkanovski (twice), once for the pound-for-pound crown. He fought Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, and even short-notice Renato Moicano.

Former 145lber Topuria claimed UFC brass promised him a title shot at the Dagestani after relinquishing his featherweight title. This prompted Daniel Cormier’s friend, Ben Askren, to speculate about UFC stripping him. Topuria does have quite the star power, thus making this quite a PPV title fight offering.

DC disagrees that this should be the case. Specifically, when talk of stripping Jon Jones did not take any hold despite not booking a PPV heavyweight title unification for over a year. Cormier isn’t exactly an unbiased source with him and ‘Bones’ having had a history. But the MMA analyst and commentator delved into it even further.

If Islam Makhachev, why not Jon Jones?

The feud between Daniel Cormier and Jones has died down, but it lives on, even though DC’s competitive UFC tenure has come to an end. Makhachev, on the other hand, is a teammate through the connection of the American Kickboxing Academy.

Daniel Cormier gives his take on old UFC rival Jon Jones
Daniel Cormier gives his take on old UFC rival Jon Jones (Source: X)

Cormier bumped up Islam Makhachev’s title legacy when discussing whether UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones should be stripped, if at all. His PPV title unification bout with Tom Aspinall has dragged on for an ungodly amount of time. The interim heavyweight champ has reached a new 535+ days threshold, after winning his substitute strap on November 11, 2023!

Aspinall even made a rare defense of the interim gold, a first-round TKO of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304, last July. The Englishman has been indomitable and could be a prime deterrent to the heavyweight champ’s battle acumen. However, other than some flashy teases about his legacy, Jon Jones is not yet fully committed to it. Daniel Cormier recently pitched in on his former rival.

Should he get stripped? I don’t know man, …Because if he didn’t get stripped in March 2023 all the way to November of ’24, why would you do it now? It’s been six months [UFC 309]…The first time it was 18 months from him winning that belt to him defending that belt, and he did not get stripped. So, why would they strip him today?

Daniel Cormier further said

Per recent media reports, both Islam Makhachev and Topuria have entered camp. One way or the other, the 155-pound kingpin’s fate might be sealed in. Topuria is on the rumor mills to challenge for the gold one way or the other. But will Jones fare similarly, or go unchecked? Only time will tell.

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