Daniel Cormier hopes to see the ‘”BMF” title get defended moving forward.
With inaugural “BMF” champion Jorge Masvidal retiring, the UFC opted to pit former interim lightweight champs Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje against each other for the vacant belt in a five-round fight that headlines UFC 291 on July 29 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.
Masvidal captured the “BMF” title with a doctor’s stoppage TKO win over Nate Diaz in 2019, but he never defended the belt. Now that the title is back, Cormier hopes it’s up for grabs more frequently.
“I ask you this question: Is this new champion going to defend the ‘BMF’ title?” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I believe that these two athletes would go up, they would fight at 155, and they would defend that belt. Because if we’re gonna keep rolling it out, it has to become a thing that gets put on the line, especially if these guys aren’t fighting for championships. Masvidal didn’t seem to want to defend that championship even though people called for it many times.
“Is ‘The Rock’ gonna be there again and make it feel as important as it did in Madison Square? The winner is going to set themselves up for another crack at the championship with Makhachev being the champ, and it’s always easier to call for a title fight when you’re carrying a belt on your shoulders. And that’s exactly what one of these two are gonna do in Salt Lake City. But let’s not not defend the ‘BMF’ championship, because now it means something.”
Poirier (29-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) and Gaethje (24-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) will rematch after their 2018 Fight of the Year. “The Diamond” defeated Gaethje by fourth-round TKO.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
