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Daniel Cormier doesn’t see Justin Gaethje fighting Conor McGregor, at least not next.

For many, Gaethje’s first title defense shouldn’t be a mystery. Arman Tsarukyan has clearly established himself as the No. 1 contender given his resume, which includes his latest victory at UFC 331. “The Batman” scored a first-round knockout victory over Mauricio Ruffy after delivering a crushing elbow.

Still, a potential rematch with Ilia Topuria as well as the thought of a lucrative showdown with McGregor have made their way into the conversation. At the moment, McGregor is unlikely to return to the Octagon until at least the summer of 2027 due to the ACL and meniscus injuries he suffered during his short-lived UFC 329 comeback.

Cormier hopped on his YouTube channel to weigh in on what could be next for Gaethje, and he dismissed a clash with the “Notorious” one for now (via MMAJunkie).

“There is no easy option for Justin Gaethje because even in retiring, it’s hard,” Cormier said. “Even if staying and winning again, it’s hard because there’s always going to be a pull to do it again. Now, Conor McGregor fight, Justin said, absolutely. But to me, that fight is just not possible because he’s the world champion. If he was Justin Gaethje, you without that belt, everybody’s favorite fighter, the guy that lays it on the line and just goes to war, maybe he had lost his last fight? Possibly. “But as the world champion, (McGregor) can’t happen. And also 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 hasn’t been shy in admitting that he’d rather fight McGregor than have a chance to avenge his losses against Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira. It’s no secret that McGregor is the money fight, but with Gaethje being a UFC champion, most agree that it isn’t realistic. McGregor hasn’t won a fight since early 2020.

What do you think will ultimately be next for Justin Gaethje? Will Gaethje fight Arman Tsarukyan? Are we in for the rematch with Ilia Topuria? Could Conor McGregor actually be his next opponent? Sound off in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM