Daniel Cormier says Justin Gaethje deserves next title shot

Daniel Cormier recently opened up about Justin Gaethje's place in the UFC lightweight division. He declared that the Arizona native had done enough to warrant a shot at the divisional gold.

Justin Gaethje is currently coming off a hard-fought, unanimous decision win against Michael Chandler at UFC 268. The fight took place back in November 2021 at the iconic Madison Square Garden.

Should 'The Highlight' compete for the title in his next outing inside the octagon, it would mark his second attempt at the lightweight strap.

Gaethje locked horns with then-UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout in October 2020 at UFC 254. However, a second-round submission loss dashed his dreams of cementing himself at the pinnacle of the lightweight division.

While in conversation with Helen Yee, Daniel Cormier revealed who could be the next title challenger:

"It seems like Justin Gaethje is going to get the title fight and he deserves it. You know, Justin lost to [Khabib Nurmagomedov]. But everybody loses to Khabib. So, he got back, beat Michael Chandler and it seems like he's the guy. But if Islam was fighting for that title, who could ever complain? Especially when he gets through Beneil Dariush. Dude wins that fight, he's the No. 1 contender."

Watch Daniel Cormier in conversation with Helen Yee right here:

'DC' could not help but wonder how Islam Makhachev's win against Beneil Dariush could affect the title picture. He admitted that a win against Dariush could catapult Makhachev into a title fight straight away.

The two are set to headline UFC Fight Night 202 on February 26. Dariush comes into this fight riding a 7-fight win streak. Makhachev, on the other hand, boasts a winning streak of 9 fights. It is one of the biggest non-title UFC fights to look forward to this year.

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Charles Oliveira looking past Justin Gaethje and Islam Makhachev for his next fight

In a back-and-forth with Conor McGregor on Twitter, 'Do Bronx' suggested that he was open to offering the Dubliner a fight over contenders like Justin Gaethje and Islam Makhachev.

The Brazilian offered more insight on his interest in fighting 'The Notorious' while speaking on a Portuguese podcast, Trocação Franca:

"If I had the chance to fight Conor for money today, I would. The belt is mine and continues being mine. We’ll continue building our legacy and making history.” [h/t: MMA Fighting]