Daniel Cormier is having a hard time coping with the idea that Islam Makhachev may not be fighting for too much longer.
Javier Mendez revealed that former UFC lightweight champion Makhachev could be looking at three more fights before calling it a career. Makhachev is expected to challenge welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena in his next fight.
Cormier thinks Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) still has plenty of fight left in him, but is also aware that he likely won’t go back on his word if that indeed is the case.
“Islam Makhachev might have three fights, including Jack Della Maddalena,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “That right there is where our energy should be spent as Islam fans. How in the world does it feel like another dominant champion may be saying it’s about time? Why? He’s young, he’s the world champ, he’s dominating, getting the opportunity to become a double champ. Why? I think we’re in a time right now, in fighting, that for me as a fan is very sad. I don’t believe for a second though that it’s going to change. But when they all start to walk away, it’s sad for the fan.
“But Islam only has three fights? It’s scary to me, because I know, knowing these guys, the only saving grace right now is that someone else is saying it for him and he has not said that himself. If Islam comes out and tells us, ‘I’ve got three fights left,’ we should lock in. We saw Khabib do it, and he never looked back. That should be worrisome to us as mixed martial arts fans. We have so many more fights that we want to these guys to fight. We want to see him against Jack Della, we want to see him against (Kamaru) Usman, and we want to see him against Ilia Topuria. It’s crazy.”
Makhachev defended the UFC lightweight title a division record four times before opting to relinquish it. His most recent title defense came in a quick submission of Renato Moicano at UFC 311 in January.
