B. Askren has been retired from MMA since 2019. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube ESPN MMA
The controversy surrounding Ilia Topuria 's move to the lightweight division (up to 70,3kg) has sparked speculation and opinions from all sides. The Spaniard relinquished his featherweight title (up to 65,7kg) to move up a weight class and claims he received the fight with the champion as a promise. But Islam Makhahcev insists on not opening the doors for the undefeated fighter. The pound-for-pound number 1's attitude is not at all pleasing to former fighter Ben Askren.
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In a segment he shares with Daniel Cormier on DC's YouTube channel, he commented on the situation. In fact, the veteran offered a rather "dictatorial" suggestion as a solution.
“I think Dana should just do what Dana does and just say, ‘Hey, Islam, if you don’t want to fight, you’re out of the belt.’ He did that. That’s in Dana’s repertoire,” suggested Ben Askren.
“Having someone like a tyrant or a dictator at the top who can force issues is kind of useful because it doesn’t take a genius to realize that if Topuria is vacating and moving, he’s second best, and Makhachev is first best. You make them fight, right?” he continued.
While Askren thinks Dana White should surround Makhachev, Cormier believes there are better options for the champion to defend his belt than Topuria. The UFC commentator has placed his bets on Volkanovski.
“Volkanovski was the number one fighter in the world in the pound-for-pound category at the time. After he knocked him out, all the talk was about, well, you just knocked out a featherweight. People are still going to say, ‘Well, you just beat a featherweight,’” Cormier stated.
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