Tag: Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier: Arman Tsarukyan toughest, least lucrative fight for UFC champ Islam Makhachev

Daniel Cormier simply doesn’t see the upside to Islam Makhachev defending his UFC title in a rematch with Arman Tsarukyan.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] believes UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] should avoid fighting [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag].

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) is steering toward the direction of Dustin Poirier for his next title defense, but a No. 1 contender is expected to emerge out of UFC 300.

Saturday features two marquee lightweight matchups as Justin Gaethje defends his BMF title against Max Holloway, along with former champ Charles Oliveira and Tsarukyan squaring off as they eye rematches with Makhachev. Cormier said Makhachev has the least to gain from fighting Tsarukyan (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC).

“Islam and Tsarukyan would be probably the lowest-selling fight of all those fights, but it would be the absolute toughest,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “Tsarukyan has a style that lends itself to being competitive against Makhachev. … I believe that Tsarukyan fight is the toughest fight. I don’t know that it’s the most lucrative fight for Makhachev.

“Who you don’t want, honestly, is Arman Tsarukyan. Not because you’re afraid of him, but you don’t really want it because it doesn’t seem to make sense. He needs a little bit more. Maybe he gets the rub from beating Charles Oliveira if he can this weekend and that helps, but I still don’t believe that it generates the revenue for you as a champion, as a Dustin Poirier or a Justin Gaethje.”

Tsarukyan faced Makhachev in his UFC debut in April 2019, losing a competitive decision. He has since gone 8-1, most recently knocking out Beneil Dariush in the first round at UFC on ESPN 52.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Who has most to gain and lose at UFC 300, according to Daniel Cormier

UFC 300 is star studded, but Daniel Cormier is putting the spotlight on two fighters in particular.

UFC 300 is star studded, but [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] is putting the spotlight on two fighters.

Cormier was first asked who he thinks has the most to gain at Saturday’s historic UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Cormier picked Jamahal Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) as the fighter with the most to gain. Hill challenges light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in the main event, where he’ll look to reclaim the belt he vacated due to injury.

“Anytime you’re fighting for a championship, that’s the person with the most to gain,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “For me, it’s Jamahal Hill. Jamahal Hill never lost that championship. Jamahal Hill is back now fighting for the belt, and he’s fighting against a guy that’s a double champion that everybody feels walks on water. If Jamahal Hill wins this fight, his star will shine brighter than it ever has.”

As for who has the most to lose, Cormier picked Charles Oliveira (34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC), who meets Arman Tsarukyan (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in a No. 1 contender bout at lightweight. Oliveira was scheduled to rematch lightweight champion Islam Makhachev this past October at UFC 294 but was forced out due to a cut.

“Charles Oliveira has the most to lose at UFC 300,” Cormier said. “He was, like I said, the No. 1 contender. He is now fighting a guy that is on his way up. It’s the same situation as Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint Denis. When you are a guy that had lived at the top of the division, a guy that was the champion, that has fought the biggest fights in the organization – when you’re in the position that you’ve got to give the kid a chance, you cannot lose. And if you do, you’re really going to suffer for it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Daniel Cormier: Colby Covington has to ‘stand behind his words,’ fight Ian Machado Garry

Daniel Cormier thinks Colby Covington not fighting Ian Machado Garry would be a bad look.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] not fighting [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] would be a bad look.

Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) accepted Garry’s initial callout, but put some stipulations – which included that his wife Layla be featured in one of his fight prediction videos for his betting sponsorship. The pair have since been going back-and-forth, but Garry is no longer confident that Covington actually wants to fight him.

However, Cormier says the multiple-time title challenger has reached a point where he has to fight Garry (14-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC).

“What does Colby Covington fight for today as a guy who’s fought for championships his entire career? What motivates him? It would seem to be the big fight,” Cormier said of Covington on his YouTube channel. “Does the Ian Garry fight feel like that to him? It should, because competitively, you’ve got to beat the guy that wants to be the up-and-comer because regardless of what you think of Ian Garry, he can fight. It doesn’t matter what you think of someone’s personality or anything. You have to respect the skill level, and Ian Garry has a very high level of skill.

“Colby Covington, after the fight with Leon Edwards, may not be looking forward to being in there with another long, rangy striker. But the actions say: ‘Let’s fight.’ Now it’s time to put pen to paper. They have to fight because when you hurl the insults and you say that man’s name, and you constantly talk about him, his life outside the octagon, when you now start taking personal shots at Colby’s political views, now you’ve got a fight. I believe that International Fight Week works perfect.”

Cormier points to Covington’s past rivals as examples. Covington doesn’t often acknowledge those who call him out, but now that he’s addressed Garry, Cormier wants to see them settle the score.

“When he spoke about Kamaru Usman in weird ways or disrespectful ways, he fought Kamaru Usman,” Cormier said. “When he talked about Leon Edwards, he fought Leon Edwards. When he talked about anyone, he fought him if that was an option. … If you are going to take this role, or play the villain in everybody’s story, the villain always has to get his comeuppance, where he has to step in front of the sword and fight.

“He’s got to step into that battlefield and he’s got to show that he’s willing to stand behind his words. I think that’s where we are now with this Colby Covington-Ian Garry deal. Colby’s got to stand up on his words now and go fight that man. If he beats him, now we still continue to think that he’s in the championship picture.”

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Daniel Cormier: No reason for UFC’s Manon Fiorot to accept anything other than title fight

UFC contender Manon Fiorot is “just standing on the verge of her championship opportunity,” and there’s no reason to risk it.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] advises [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] not to take another fight unless it’s for the UFC women’s flyweight title.

Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) extended her winning streak to 12 when she scored a shutout of highly touted contender Erin Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) this past Saturday in the UFC on ESPN 54 main event.

If Fiorot does indeed opt to sit out, she will have to wait for flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko to settle their trilogy, which will take place only after the airing of Season 32 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which is currently being filmed. “TUF 32” premiers June 4 and likely will air until the end of summer.

“If I’m Manon Fiorot, I’m not fighting,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “There’s no reason to go from the fights that she has had and take another one when she’s undefeated in the UFC. She’s looked increasingly better, and she’s just standing on the verge of her championship opportunity.

“I get it. I would like to see her fight Maycee Barber. But the way she looked last weekend, she looks like she’s ready now to fight for the belt, It’s more likely, in my opinion, that she weighs in as the backup fighter, she trains alongside that championship fight, and waits to have her opportunity.”

Fiorot outstruck Blanchfield over the course of five rounds and stuffed her three takedown attempts. Cormier was impressed with her performance and admits she exceeded his expectations.

“Her takedown defense looked really good,” Cormier said. “Her striking, as we know she is known for, looked amazing. She just seemed to be a step ahead of Erin Blanchfield.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Daniel Cormier: Chris Weidman ‘really did deserve to get a victory because he fought so well’ at UFC on ESPN 54

Daniel Cormier doesn’t have an issue with Chris Weidman getting his hand raised despite some egregious eye pokes at UFC on ESPN 54.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] doesn’t have an issue with [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] getting his hand raised at UFC on ESPN 54.

Weidman (16-7 MMA, 12-7 UFC) picked up a controversial win over Bruno Silva this past Saturday at Boardwalk Hall – a unanimous decision that was initially ruled a third-round TKO. Weidman dropped Silva with a left hook but poked him in both eyes before landing the blow.

The finish was reviewed, and a slow-motion replay showed that Silva was clearly poked in the eye two times before Weidman dropped him and finished him on the ground. With Weidman up on the judges’ scorecards, the result was overturned to a unanimous decision, and Cormier agrees with the final outcome of the fight.

“There’s a rule in place, that if you go past a certain point in the fight, it’s scored,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “If there is an illegal blow, they score the fight and if you score that fight, Chris Weidman wins. So I think by them making it a decision, it saves the fight, staying a win for Chris Weidman – because he really did deserve to get a victory because he fought so well. He made one point that I thought was very important. He said, ‘I get it, but Bruno Silva has to understand you can’t fall to the ground and turn away from the fight because I am going to jump on you and finish the fight.’

“Chris Weidman did what his instincts told him, and that was to go finish Bruno Silva when Bruno reacted the way that he did from the eye poke. I’m only saying this because, to me, it felt like a soccer player when they get fouled and they’re rolling around on the ground when the guy barely touches them. Bruno Silva got eye poked, but I think he understood where he was in the fight. He was getting beat. He was losing. He fell to the ground. He reacted in the way he was reacting, hoping, ‘Wait, stop, stop, stop, poke to the eye. No contest.’ Instead, Weidman went and finished him.”

Weidman picked up his first win in almost four years, and his first since breaking his leg in a TKO loss to Uriah Hall in April 2021.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Javier Mendez disagrees with Daniel Cormier’s claim that Islam Makhachev more dangerous than Khabib Nurmagomedov

For Javier Mendez, Islam Makhachev is more skilled than Khabib Nurmagomedov but not more dangerous.

For [autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag], [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] is more skilled than [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] but not more dangerous.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag], who also trained under Mendez at American Kickboxing Academy, said UFC lightweight champion Makhachev is even more dangerous than former champ Nurmagomedov was during his prime.

Mendez heavily disagrees.

“OK, he’s more skilled in multiple areas, yes,” Mendez told MMA Mania. “More dangerous? Nobody is more dangerous, in my opinion, in the world than Khabib. Nobody, no one, I don’t care. I haven’t seen one that is more dangerous than Khabib in the sense of danger. I mean, you can’t do nothing to him. It’s very difficult to do anything to him.”

Mendez raved about Nurmagomedov’s chin. “The Eagle” retired undefeated and never tasted his own blood in 29 professional fights. Mendez says only one fighter was able to briefly stun Nurmagomedov.

“Khabib is the most dangerous because, first of all, in my opinion and I’m being biased because I love him to death, he’s got the hardest chin I’ve ever seen on anybody,” Mendez continued. “He’s been hit. The only person who rocked him a little bit, a tiny bit, was Michael Johnson.

“Michael Johnson hit him with one hell of a shot and other than that, no one else has hit him with anything. Justin Gaethje’s hit him, but did nothing. He steamrolls everybody. I think ‘DC’ probably meant more skilled, yes that’s correct. But, more dangerous? I don’t think there’s ever been a man more dangerous than Khabib.”

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Daniel Cormier explains why Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier is ‘a no-lose situation for the UFC’

Daniel Cormier lays out a compelling reason for being all in on an Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier title fight.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] believes the UFC matching up [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] would be a win-win situation.

Based on availability, UFC lightweight champion Makhachev suggested Poirier for his next title defense. Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan are all competing at UFC 300 on April 13, which is what steered Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) toward “The Diamond.”

Makhachev doesn’t think Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) deserves it but wants to return in June. Cormier sees Poirier being a great fight to help build Makhachev’s star power.

“This is a no-lose situation for the UFC,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Islam wants to fight, so I think you’ve got to try and make that happen as soon as possible. It works. For Dustin Poirier, massive chance. For Islam Makhachev, another former champion you can put under your belt. That is storytelling.

“You can’t control the outcome, but you can put them in a position for someone to make magic and then you, as the company, capitalize on it. I love it. Book it right now, book it: Makhachev vs. Poirier. It will be a massive fight. It really will be the biggest fight that Islam Makhachev has ever had in terms of the box office.”

Cormier suggests Makhachev become a heel in the buildup. Makhachev already took aim at Poirier for falling short twice at becoming champion, and Cormier encourages him to continue this approach.

“I think this is the next logical step in the evolution of Islam Makhachev,” Cormier said. “Now you’ve got to be a little bit more forward. Look, he’s very blunt, a lot of the Dagestanis are. At times, that can get misinterpreted for being disrespectful. Nope, it’s just how they are. They’re very blunt, they’re very direct. While it may come off as (disrespectful), I would steer into that if I’m the champion. I would try to become the evil empire. I would try to become the villain.

“Islam needs to tell Dustin, ‘You’re never going to do it. You don’t belong on my level. You got here because there was no one else.’ That would make the people hate him. That would make people run to support Dustin Poirier. That would also make people think about it more, make people care more, make people tap into what they have going on more, and ultimately that’s what’s important. Nothing else. What’s important is people caring.”

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Daniel Cormier concerned with Sean Strickland’s mental health struggles: ‘That’s a plea for help’

Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier urges people to take Sean Strickland’s vents on mental health seriously.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] urges people to take seriously [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]’s vents on mental health.

Former UFC middleweight champion Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) recently opened up about his mental health struggles and claimed he was “mentally unwell” and a “danger to people.”

Strickland has been vocal about his childhood trauma in the past, and Cormier thinks his constant statements about his mental health is a cause for concern.

“Sean Strickland is a guy that has a very, very dark past,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “We all know that. But that dark past has served to make him a world-champion fighter and a guy that is willing to go through so much adversity. Go through so many ups and downs, never lose sight of the goal and what’s in front of him, and has made himself a former world champion. …He said that he’s rich, and still can’t get past the hurdles mentally. I want to make sure that, we as the consumer, treat this in the same manner, in which we treated Alexander Volkanovski when he spoke about his issues mentally.

“When speaking mental health and mental issues, I believe that all the biases or the opinions we have of this certain fighter whether you love him or you hate him, have to take a back seat and we have to look at the human being. When Volk said he was in his own head, we all rushed to speak to him, his strength, and how much anyone was willing to help. We need to make sure we do the same thing for Sean Strickland. …That’s a plea for help. So we as the mixed martial arts community, should rush to his side again. Just like we did for Alexander Volkanovski.”

Strickland is currently campaigning for an immediate rematch with Dricus Du Plessis, who dethroned him with a close decision win to claim the middleweight title at UFC 297 in January.

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Why Daniel Cormier thinks Jake Paul is in a ‘no-win situation’ boxing Mike Tyson

Daniel Cormier says Jake Paul has nothing to gain in beating Mike Tyson.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] says [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] has nothing to gain in beating [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag].

YouTuber-turned-pro boxer Paul (9-1) meets boxing legend Tyson (50-6) on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The event will stream live for Netflix subscribers.

Tyson is a Hall of Fame world champion boxer, and one of the most famed athletes in history. Cormier thinks Paul would turn fans against him if he was able to put a beating on the much older Tyson, who will be 58 when he steps into the ring against Paul.

“Mike Tyson’s going to be in there at almost 60! Bro, he’s 15 years older than me, almost,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Can you just beat on Mike Tyson? It might ruin (Paul) if he just beats on Mike Tyson. He’s in a no-win situation.

“I don’t know that he thought this one through as much as he probably should have. If you just go out there and you just beat the sh*t out of Mike Tyson, everybody’s going to be really mad at you. If he knocks Mike out, if he just, starches Mike Tyson, it might be over, bro.”

Paul went from boxing UFC notables such as Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz, to relatively unknown professional boxers in Andre August and Ryan Bourland. Now he takes on fan-favorite Tyson, and Cormier questions his decision to fight him.

“He’s very lovable, and that’s the danger in this fight,” Cormier said. “I don’t know. I think Jake Paul might have made a mistake on this one because if he beats up on Mike, dude is in trouble.”

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For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Tyson.

Daniel Cormier: UFC champ Sean O’Malley ‘continues to improve at a rate that is kind of unmatched’

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley impressed Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier in his first title defense in the main event of UFC 299.

UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] had a lot of praise for bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] after recording his first title defense at UFC 299 in Miami.

O’Malley swept the scorecards in a rematch against Marlon Vera, avenging a prior loss in 2020. Cormier was impressed with “Sugar’s” performance in which he landed 230 significant strikes over 25 minutes, and believes the fighter we saw at Kaseya Center was much more improved than the one we saw in August when he won the title by stopping Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.

“From the very start of the fight, you could see that we weren’t watching the same Sean O’Malley that we saw in Boston, and that was only a few months ago,” Cormier said in a video on his YouTube channel. “The guy continues to improve at a rate that is kind of unmatched by many. His angles, his creativity – ‘Chito’ Vera is traditionally a slow starter, but he starts to build as the fight goes on. But Sean never allowed him to.”

O’Malley wanted Vera to be his first title defense so that he could prove the result of their first meeting at UFC 252 was a mistake due to an injury that led to the first-round TKO stoppage.

“He told us that the first fight was a fluke, because he was piecing ‘Chito’ up. It wasn’t as evident as it was tonight,” Cormier said. “Tonight it was very clear that Sean O’Malley was piecing ‘Chito’ up, because that’s exactly what he was doing. He fought beautifully. He was presented a canvas and he painted a masterpiece. His striking was next level.”

Beyond getting his revenge, O’Malley now has a much larger feather in his cap. He performed in front of 19,165 fans at the sold-out Kaseya Center, which brought in a $14.14M gate that broke the UFC’s own record at the venue. It was also the fourth highest-grossing UFC event of all time, according to UFC CEO Dana White.

“So many people didn’t want to give this kid credit for how good he was because it felt like he was getting preferential treatment from the UFC,” Cormier said. “… Not everybody moves the needle like Sean O’Malley. Even if there was preferential treatment, it was because of the company having the foresight to see what Sean O’Malley could be down the line, and now the investment is starting to pay dividends.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.