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What should the UFC do with the light heavyweight division now that there’s an assortment of contenders all aiming at an absentee champion? And should the champ himself be the one who gets to decide? Retired UFC and WEC fighter Danny Downes joins MMAjunkie columnist Ben Fowlkes to discuss in this week’s Trading Shots.

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Fowlkes: Don’t look now, Danny, but things are getting interesting/messy in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

Anthony Smith just steamrolled his second MMA legend of the summer when he knocked out Mauricio Rua on Sunday. Alexander Gustafsson, who just recently lost his opponent when Volkan Oezdemir pulled out hurt, suddenly went from asking for a new fight to removing himself from the conversation altogether, citing injury.

Daniel Cormier is still the champ, though it seems less and less likely that he’ll actually defend it any time soon. And Jon Jones? Well, he’s still in USADA limbo.

What are we supposed to do with this crazy division, Danny? What should become of the title?

And what do you make of Cormier playing the role of disappointed vice principal when he thinks Gustafsson is holding out for a bigger fight? Because it kind of sounded like the champ just made an executive decision to ban Gustafsson from future title fights with him, which isn’t a power I thought UFC champs had.

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Downes: What’s the opposite of “embarrassment of riches?” Because right now light heavyweight is whatever that is.

As for what should be done with the title, I have no idea, but I know what will happen. INTERIM LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP, BABY!

The UFC has been creating and stripping titles left and right. It looks like UFC 228 could use a main event. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another war between [checks rankings] Ilir Latifi and Jan Blachowicz? We all know it’s the rematch fans have been asking for since their barnburner at UFC Fight Night 53 in Stockholm. Those Swedes still talk about it.

While I’ve just solved the UFC’s 205-pound problem, I’ll admit that I can’t seem to figure out Cormier. In this day and age, there’s a temptation to think everyone is working a gimmick, but let’s take “DC” at his word. He thinks that Gustafsson has “changed” and is no longer worthy of a fight.

First off, his claim that Gustafsson is ducking Smith’s call out doesn’t hold water. Soon after Smith asked to fight Gustafsson, MMAjunkie’s John Morgan was already on Twitter saying that “The Mauler” was injured. It seems that it was common knowledge among UFC officials and journalists in the know, it just was not made public yet.

Even if Gustafsson is claiming an injury to avoid Smith, it makes sense. Why fight Smith when you could get a fight with Cormier? How is it any different than avoiding ranked fighters in a division to face a guy who hasn’t fought once in 2016 and whose last fight before that was in 2011?

Besides Cormier’s hypocrisy, I’m not buying his scolding either. Cormier doesn’t want to fight Jones or Gustafsson because of “character issues” or something. Yet he has no problem stepping into the octagon with a boorish drug cheat who respects nothing about the sport or its fans.

I’m not saying those traits should disqualify Lesnar from a title shot, but how does Gustafsson have entitlement issues and Lesnar doesn’t?

We all know why Cormier doesn’t care about Lesnar’s character, and it’s because he’ll make a boatload of money from that fight. That’s fine, but don’t give us some BS about how other fighters out there (the only ones we really want to see him fight other than Lesnar) aren’t worthy of a title shot.

I know you’re a “DC” guy, but how sanctimonious can you get? Don’t you think we should add another person to the entitlement list?

Fowlkes: I agree that Cormier’s stance here is pretty hypocritical, not only because of Lesnar’s “character issues,” but also because it sure looks like the champ is trying to avoid a fight that he doesn’t think is in his financial best interests, and the justification he’s using for it is that it’s a response to someone else doing the exact same thing.

But really, this shouldn’t even be Cormier’s call to make. It’s bad enough when a champ holds up one division by angling for a specific fight. It’s practically criminal when he does the same thing to two different weight classes.

I like Cormier and think he’s a great fighter and a genuinely good dude, but can we just admit that he’s not going to defend that light heavyweight belt between now and when Lesnar becomes eligible again in January?

It’s not because he’s scared; it’s because he’s smart. If he fights, win or lose, he might get hurt. And if he gets hurt, he might miss his window to cash in big against Lesnar. It’s really that simple, so I’m not interested in anyone’s efforts to shape the narrative to suit their needs.

Instead, let’s skip right to the part where Cormier vacates the belt to focus on that heavyweight life, and let’s let the 205-pounders figure this out among themselves.

And, honestly, you could have some fun there. Just gather all these light heavyweights from Corey Anderson to Smith to Oezdemir to Gustafsson, and let them fight it out grand prix-style to determine a champion.

It’s so easy, so obvious, so perfect! And there’s no way the UFC is actually going to do it, is there?

Downes: Absolutely not. And it’s a shame because Dana White should listen to his friend Marcellus Wallace and “ignore” pride on this one.

A tournament would be a great idea, but in White’s ultra-rich bro mindset, it would be a capitulation. Not because Bellator created the grand prix, but because it’s Scott Coker’s shtick more than White’s at this point.

In the age of the “money fight,” I wonder when we’ll reach the logical conclusion. In any division (men’s or women’s), every champion is holding out for what they perceive to be a big payday. Whether they’re searching for an inter-divisional superfight or a chance to face off against a former WWE champion, fighters have realized it’s in their best interest to fight once for a lot of money rather than for the equivalent amount spread out over three or four fights.

I don’t blame them for that conclusion, but it certainly leads to stagnation.

Regardless, a smart hypocrite is still a hypocrite. Cormier may have earned the right to call his shot, but I prefer honesty over evangelization. Cormier has never been the coolest or the most dangerous looking fighter on the planet, but he has been authentic. Now he risks losing that.

If cash rules everything around you, I can respect that, but don’t preach to me. Your words ring hollow.

Ben Fowlkes is MMAjunkie and USA TODAY’s MMA columnist. Danny Downes, a retired UFC and WEC fighter, is an MMAjunkie contributor who has also written for UFC.com and UFC 360. Follow them on twitter at @benfowlkesMMA and @dannyboydownes.