Chris Weidman says the competitor in UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will steer him toward Arman Tsarukyan next.
Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) has mulled over the idea of retirement after he upset Ilia Topuria to claim the title at UFC Freedom 250. Arman Tsarukyan is the clear-cut No. 1 contender, but UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski expressed interest in a double retirement fight against Gaethje
.Although Volkanovski (29-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) has the more credentialed resume, Weidman believes Gaethje being counted out against Tsarukyan (24-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) is exactly why he'd take the fight.
"The Arman fight, I think, for Gaethje is actually more exciting because there's way more of a chance – he could lose to Volk, but the cards
are stacked against him with Arman," Weidman said on "Deep Waters." "He's already a huge underdog if you look at the odds, like a 3-1 underdog, and I think he loves the opportunity to shut people up and be like, 'Motherf*ckers, you guys forgot.'
"I think that will excite him. I don't think Gaethje is afraid of losing, so I don't think he minds fighting Arman. He wants to get paid the right amount of money, and I'm sure that's why we're all waiting right now to see what's going on, but I think he would get paid more money to fight Arman than he would Volkanovski."
Gaethje is yet to address Volkanovski's callout or his next fight. After stopping Topuria, he said he plans on taking a break before competing again – if he decides to.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst ponders what fight Justin Gaethje finds most appealing
