Last year, Dana White was heavily criticized by the MMA community after he kept Arman Tsarukyan away from the lightweight title picture. The UFC decided to book Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 for the interim title, raising questions about the booking. When the UFC 324 main event was announced, UFC veteran Daniel Cormier questioned the choice, but now he sees it as fully justified.

While he was bypassed, Arman Tsarukyan stayed active. After defeating Dan Hooker last year, he had multiple grappling matches and featured with multiple social media personalities. Now, however, Daniel Cormier understands the bigger picture and sees why the promotion made that move.

Daniel Cormier sets the record straight on UFC 324’s most debated decision

“Justin Gaethje won,” said ‘DC’ on his latest YouTube video. “Now you have an American guy holding a portion of a title with a fight at the White House that is going to happen in June. It was a no-lose situation, and honestly, I don’t know how we missed it.”

With that in mind, Daniel Cormier highlighted last month at UFC 324 why the UFC featured Paddy Pimblett for his star power and Gaethje for his American appeal. Dana White & Co. have made the upcoming UFC White House event their top priority.

On June 14, sports and politics will come together on the South Lawn to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. At the same time, the newly minted interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje now has the chance to fight champion Ilia Topuria at the White House event. According to Daniel Cormier, this strategy justifies snubbing Arman Tsarukyan.

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“Everybody’s like, ‘Well, why is that dude, why isn’t it Arman?’ Now it kind of makes sense because now that Gaethje has the belt, you’ve got an American guy holding a title going into the White House. It worked one way or the other. Now it makes more sense to me.”

Now, the promotion’s major goal for this year is to focus on maximizing opportunities after signing a $7.7 billion deal. At UFC 324, the promotion also chose not to let Tsarukyan headline the first Paramount card of the year, especially considering his history of abrupt pullouts and brawls.

Even though the Russian-Armenian missed the interim title opportunity, he still can face ‘El Matador’ by the end of the year. Still, in the UFC, nothing ever follows a set order, and anything can happen. Now, Ilia Topuria will return this summer to face Justin Gaethje. Meanwhile, Demetrious Johnson highlighted that Tsarukyan could act as kryptonite for Topuria.

Demetrious Johnson highlights Tsarukyan as a serious threat to Ilia Topuria’s title

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, undefeated so far, has become a force to be reckoned with across multiple divisions. First, he dominated the featherweight division, defeating legends like Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski while holding the belt. Then, he moved up to lightweight for the vacated title and knocked out Charles Oliveira last summer at UFC 317, becoming only the 10th fighter to hold titles in two divisions under Dana White’s banner.

Now, Topuria aims to cement his legacy further by targeting Justin Gaethje in the coming months for the unification title. However, UFC legend Demetrious Johnson stepped into the debate, predicting that Arman Tsarukyan could provide Topuria’s toughest challenge.

“Arman should be fighting the winner of Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria… I think Arman Tsarukyan has the best chance in the lightweight division of beating Ilia Topuria,” said Demetrious Johnson.

Do you agree with DJ’s take? Could Arman Tsarukyan be the fighter to finally test the unbeaten Ilia Topuria? Share your prediction in the comments below.