Cormier explained why Volkanovski would not have agreed to a rematch with Makhachev if he were him

“To be completely honest, I would say: “Take time, let’s take advantage of all the opportunities. Let's have a full training camp." I believe Volkanovski was thinking: “Now Makhachev will fight Oliveira, then Justin Gaethje, and my opportunity to become a double champion may slip away. So I would probably wait.”