Daniel Cormier slams Michael Bisping's criticism of Ilia Topuria after UFC champ dismisses Arman Tsarukyan fight 

Daniel Cormier believes Michael Bisping is being selective with his memory, especially when it comes to fighters like Ilia Topuria choosing lucrative matchups over ranked contenders. On his YouTube channel, Cormier reminded fans that Bisping had once done the same thing he now disapproves of.

Back when Bisping held the middleweight title, he chose to fight Georges St-Pierre over Yoel Romero, despite the Cuban being the clear No. 1 contender at the time. The move was widely viewed as a bid to secure the bigger payday.

Topuria is now in a similar spot. The newly crowned lightweight champ has said he’s not keen on facing Arman Tsarukyan, despite the Armenian sitting at the top of the contender list. That hasn’t gone down well with Bisping, who argued that ducking Tsarukyan sets a bad precedent.

Weighing in on Bisping's comments on his YouTube channel, Cormier said:

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"Mike, you were on the championship side. You know, when you were getting ready to fight Dan Henderson, you wanted some get-back on him, so you fought him. But if there was a bigger fight for you, Georges St-Pierre, for that matter, you took it, even though Yoel Romero, at the time, Mike, was probably the more justified No. 1 contender. The bigger fight was GSP, and you took it. I get the frustration, but think about the champion's side, too." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

He added:

"At the end of the day, I agree with y'all. It should be Arman vs. Ilia, and I don't think there's any question about that. But I think the problem with it is that lasting memory of him and Paddy Pimblett inside the octagon after [he knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317]. It's going to be hard to erase, man."

Check out Daniel Cormier's comments below (7:58):

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Sean O’Malley defends Ilia Topuria’s logic in not wanting to fight Arman Tsarukyan next

Sean O’Malley says he understands why Ilia Topuria would want to avoid Arman Tsarukyan right now. O’Malley believes Topuria’s mindset is more about what sells than who ranks highest. He pointed out that Tsarukyan is a real threat but not a marketable one.

O’Malley believes names like Gaethje or even a super fight with Islam Makhachev would bring more value and buzz than a Tsarukyan bout. Defending Topuria's stance in a recent episode of the Overdogs Podcast with Mike Perry, OMalley said:

"It just depends on where Ilia’s head’s at. Does he want to just go out there and say, 'Hey, I want the next best guy?' I feel like he’s kinda past that. He’s kinda like, who’s the biggest fight? What’s gonna [get] the most attention? And in his mind, it’s not Arman right now. So, I kinda get where he’s coming from. Why risk it against someone that’s not super popular, who’s very, very, very dangerous? Arman’s very dangerous. So, I kinda get that from Ilia’s perspective.”

Checkout Sean O'Malley's comments below (27:00):

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar