UFC analyst shares why promotion passed on 'stock' dropper to fight Ilia Topuria

Although Oliveira wasn't a popular first choice, the UFC opted to go with the Brazilian anyway. UFC commentator Din Thomas recently explained there is a method to the promotion's madness, making it the furthest thing from a popularity contest.

"I think the only other reason I could see them not giving it to [Justin] Gaethje is maybe just the lasting impression of him getting knocked out by Max [Holloway] might have hurt his stock a little bit in terms of championship aspirations," Thomas said on a recent edition of "FightCourt."

Despite possible outrage from the MMA community, Thomas said the fight will still deliver what the fans are seeking. The UFC arguably feels the same, he added.

"To me, it was almost automatic we just assumed and expected it to be Charles, and maybe the UFC did, too," Thomas said. "Like they just saw it the way it was supposed to be. Charles probably just talked his way to being like, 'Yo, I'm fighting for this title,' so then automatically we just assumed that was the situation."

Thomas said if it was up to him, though, Gaethje would have likely gotten the nod. Now he has to wait even longer.

"It’s tough to say where Gaethje even goes from here," Thomas said. "Do you put him against Arman (Tsarukyan)? I would much rather have seen him fight Ilia, honestly. I would much rather have seen that. Maybe he did get kind of passed up, and it was just based on our own perceptions and bias towards Charles, just almost accepting that he deserved to be in that spot and I didn't even question it."

Topuria-Oliveira headlines UFC 317 in Las Vegas, Nevada June 28.