TLDR
- Justin Gaethje’s interim lightweight title is the only belt held by an American male fighter in the UFC
- Two American women, Kayla Harrison and Mackenzie Dern, currently hold undisputed UFC championships
- Daniel Cormier expressed worry about the lack of Americans in the UFC’s pound-for-pound top 10
- Cormier plans to start training wrestlers to help restore American prominence in the sport
- No American fighters rank in the heavyweight division’s top 10
Sources: AOL Sports | MMA Mania | Yahoo Sports
UFC legend Daniel Cormier has raised concerns about American fighters after Justin Gaethje’s interim lightweight title win. The former two-division champion pointed out that Gaethje now holds the only belt for American men in the UFC.
Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 in Las Vegas to claim the interim lightweight championship. The victory at the UFC’s first event under its new Paramount+ broadcast deal marked a historic moment for different reasons than expected.
Cormier told Sports Illustrated that the situation represents a deeper problem for American fighters. “Justin Gaethje now is the interim champion,” Cormier said. “It’s the only belt we have on American males.”
The UFC currently has two undisputed American champions, but both are women. Kayla Harrison from Ohio holds the bantamweight title, while Mackenzie Dern from Arizona is the strawweight champion.
Daniel Cormier wants the USA to step up
📰 https://t.co/38iKpUz61G pic.twitter.com/wxWDskdAlH
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) February 9, 2026
No Americans in Pound-for-Pound Rankings
Cormier highlighted an even more troubling statistic during his interview. “We don’t have an American in the top 10 pound for pound in any weight,” he said.
The former champion also noted that no American fighters appear in the heavyweight division’s top 10. He was asked about the state of the heavyweight division when he brought up the broader issue facing U.S. fighters.
“It’s not dead because Tom Aspinall is an absolute stud,” Cormier said about the British heavyweight champion. He mentioned that Ciryl Gane from France also showed strong competition in the division recently.
Cormier acknowledged that Jon Jones, another American fighter, is “still lingering” in the sport. However, Jones recently stated he believes he might be done fighting.
Cormier’s Plan to Address the Problem
The two-time Olympic wrestler said he plans to take action. “But we’re going to fix that, we’ll start training some wrestlers,” Cormier stated.
Cormier suggested that if Jones does return, a fight at light heavyweight might make more sense. “I think if Jon Jones is going to fight, I think we have a better chance of seeing him fight Alex Pereira at 205 at the White House,” he said.
He added that Jones performed best as a 205-pounder. “He’s gotten bigger, but I think he can still get the weight off,” Cormier explained.
The comments came as the UFC prepared for its “UFC White House” event. Many American fighters in the rankings are longtime veterans or former champions rather than rising young talent.
Gaethje, who is from Arizona, has earned 14 career bonuses during his UFC run. His interim title victory came during a card that saw the UFC increase its post-fight bonuses from $50,000 to $100,000.
