The UFC’s 155 lbs division has turned into a wild scene ever since Islam Makhachev stepped away from his throne to chase double champ glory against Jack Della Maddalena. As many predicted, Ilia Topuria claimed the vacant lightweight title in style, flattening Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. So, the division finally has a new king, but that’s far from the end of the story. In fact, it’s only fueled more chaos around who gets the next shot at ‘El Matador.’ But it seems there’s a reason behind this confusion. 

Currently, the Georgian-Spaniard champion has no shortage of options, with the lightweight division stacked with challengers. Topuria’s long-standing beef with Paddy Pimblett still simmers, Arman Tsarukyan keeps calling for his shot, and Justin Gaethje is nearly threatening retirement if he doesn’t get the next crack. But it raises a real question—does the lack of a cemented No.1 contender hurt the UFC? Well, Dan Hooker might just be opening some eyes with his take. 

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say Dana White is one of the sharpest minds in the business world. Under his leadership, the UFC has grown into a $12 billion powerhouse, thanks largely to his ability to navigate and negotiate complex deals. Now, Hooker has echoed that sentiment, pointing out how the UFC handled the chaotic lightweight title picture. As per ‘The Hangman’, it was all part of a smart strategy to gain negotiation leverage over the fighters involved.

Hooker stated in his recent Submission Radio interview, “The UFC is smart as f—, bro. They never paint themselves into a situation where there’s a clear No. 1 contender who has to fight for the belt next. Because if they ever get into that situation, negotiations obviously become very difficult for them. If the fans are 100% locked in and expecting only one guy who makes sense for the title, you think when they sit down and and negotiate the UFC’s in a in a strong position.” And the Kiwi didn’t stop there! He backed it up with a solid example, too. 

‘The Hangman’ laid out a scenario where the UFC holds all the cards while negotiating with the top lightweight contenders. He explained that if, say, Paddy Pimblett doesn’t like a particular deal, the UFC can easily pivot to Arman Tsarukyan or Justin Gaethje with an offer that favors them instead.

He added, “So the UFC always sets up their title picture with three fighters who could realistically justify a title shot. Because if they only have one guy and he starts playing hardball, they’re stuck. But if they’ve got options, they can go to the second guy, the third guy, and even circle back to the first. At the end of the day, it’s a business, and they’ll go with whatever makes the most dollars.”

Honestly, Hooker has raised a solid point here. However, it’s also true that the UFC will eventually need to lock in a contender for Ilia Topuria, as the lightweight division can’t stay stagnant for too long. And according to the Kiwi, if the promotion were to pick someone for the next title shot, Justin Gaethje would likely be at the front of the line for one very simple reason. Or two! 

Hooker believes Justin Gaethje will get the next title shot against Topuria   

Paddy Pimblett may have had the moment of sharing a face-off with Ilia Topuria at UFC 317, but Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje would always be in the mix when it comes to the prime contenders for the lightweight gold. As ‘Ahalkalakets’ has been getting some backing to face ‘El Matador’ next, since it would create a stylistic spectacle. But, Dan Hooker believes the UFC would likely look at ‘The Highlight’ instead.

He added in the submission radio interview, “If the UFC could pick, I’d say they’d want a North American champion. So, I feel like Gaethje makes the most money for the company. That’s the only reason I think Gaethje is going to be the guy who fights for the title next. I also think Gaethje has a better shot at beating Ilia Topuria than Paddy does!” 

It’s true that Topuria vs. Gaethje would steal the spotlight any day. However, the rising tension with Arman Tsarukyan always felt like the most natural build-up, especially since many viewed him as the fighter closest in skill to Islam Makhachev. So, it’ll be interesting to see which contender the UFC puts forward as the next challenge for the current 155 lbs kingpin.

With that being said, who do you think should be next for Ilia Topuria? And what are your thoughts on Dan Hooker’s take on the UFC’s negotiation tactics? Comment down below!