Although Cerrone (36-17-2 MMA, 23-14-1 UFC) will have to be clean prior to a potential UFC return, Cormier has an issue with “Cowboy” using performance-enhancing drugs during his time off.
“The one thing about ‘Cowboy,’ is that it’s very refreshing to watch how open he’s been with all of this,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “He never lied. He never lied about what he was doing, what he was going to do, and how he was going to apply it to his life, and I’m all for a guy that has personal goals. … But at the end of the day, for years now, he’s been openly using steroids.”
Cormier thinks Cerrone doing that would only encourage other fighters to remove themselves from the drug testing pool and take advantage of their time away.
“I like Donald now, but it doesn’t matter what I feel about him as a person, as a buddy, or whatever it is our relationship is today,” Cormier said. “I don’t quite know what it is, but he’s not been clean. And even if he can come back, take tests, pass those tests, for him to get back, he has to do all of those things and all those enhancers to allow for him to feel like he can compete at that level again. So he would test clean, but isn’t that just a loophole? Isn’t it just a loophole like with the guys, when they get hurt, they get out of the testing pool? They recover from the injury, then they re-enter the testing pool.
“It’s not wrong. It’s not illegal. But is it right? Because you truly have been enhanced to get to where you are and how you feel, and feel good enough to come back and fight in the elite organization of the UFC. To me, it doesn’t feel right. … Remember also, ‘Cowboy’ lost six fights. He had one no contest in seven fights, and the last time he fought Jim Miller and got submitted. Imagine if he comes back and he looks like a world beater. I’m against it. I’m honestly against the idea that you could find a loophole, go in and use that loophole, feel better while using that loophole, come back and fight because you can pass a clean test.”
Daniel Cormier believes things could get ugly for Nick Diaz if he doesn’t take his UFC 310 return seriously.
[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] hopes [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] shows up in shape against [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag].
Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) returns against Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in a welterweight bout at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).
“The thing about Nick Diaz, for me: I want the guy from the pictures, I’m going to just say it,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “I don’t want to see Nick Diaz that is just ripped. When he fought Robbie Lawler, I was so excited because I was like, ‘Man, he’s been back on the triathlons, and he looks even better than he did in his prime.’
“Then when he got to the octagon, he looked nothing like that person. He looked like a guy that was pushing 40, that hadn’t fought in many, many years, and I didn’t know if he still had that fight in him.”
Although Luque has lost three of his past four fights, Cormier still sees the once streaking contender as a stern test for Diaz. He worries that the former Strikeforce champion and UFC title challenger may tarnish his legacy if he doesn’t take Luque seriously and perform.
“Vicente Luque is thought to be on the decline,” Cormier said. “I kind of judged him based on how badly Joaquin Buckley beat him. But then now watching Joaquin Buckley do what he did to the kid that was 18-1 in St. Louis, doing what he did to Stephen Thompson, now I look back at Vicente Luque and wonder if I was too quick to judgment.
“Maybe I didn’t see how good Joaquin Buckley is as opposed to the state of Vicente Luque’s career. I still think that’s a lot for Nick Diaz. Nick Diaz struggled with Robbie Lawler, and Robbie Lawler was only one fight away from retirement. Vicente Luque is not going anywhere. It’s a tough fight. I think for Nick, though, he has to be really locked in if he wants to go out there and not embarrass himself.”
[lawrence-related id=324412]
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier isn’t particularly impressed with the PFL and other promotions’ ability to build stars.
UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] dismisses PFL and other organizations when it comes to their ability to build stars.
A former two-division UFC champion, Cormier believes the octagon is the only stage where a fighter can reach superstardom. The likes of Ben Askren, Michael Chandler, Michael Page, and most recently Kayla Harrison were able to catapult their popularity to the next level after signing with the UFC.
“The NBA does not exist without the best players in the world,” Cormier said on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Ben Askren. “There are 100 leagues around the world, but they never can hold a candle to what the NBA is, so the best come and play here. There’s one place to fight, one place, because guess what? There’s only one place that honestly – not even trying to be a UFC guy, there’s one where you reach superstardom.
“There’s one place where you fight the best in the world, where you maximize your visibility and earnings inside the octagon and outside the octagon. It’s the UFC. Every other organization tries and then eventually it starts to falter. I don’t understand why. The only one who has found success is Scott Coker. He’s the only guy who has found sustained success outside the UFC.”
Harrison is 2-0 in the UFC since parting ways with PFL. Founder Donn Davis accused Harrison of running away from big fights with Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco, and Cormier thinks it’s an attempt from the PFL to use the UFC to promote their own fighters.
“Every year the gap widens, and not even a little bit. It widens by double,” Cormier said. “Every time the PFL uses that Kayla Harrison loss to promote someone on another card, that just tells you that they’re just throwing sh*t at the wall, hoping something sticks.”
Daniel Cormier thinks Ilia Topuria is starting to get under Max Holloway’s skin ahead of UFC 308.
[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] is starting to get under [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]’s skin ahead of UFC 308.
Featherweight champion Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) defends his title against Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in the Oct. 26 main event at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
In a pre-fight interview moderated by Brendan Fitzgerald, Topuria and Holloway traded barbs, with Topuria vowing to be the first to knock out Holloway. Cormier saw some agitation from Holloway during those exchanges.
“Here’s for me why this worked: You got to see Max Holloway a little bit mad,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “It felt like Ilia Topuria has now gotten to the point where Max doesn’t like him. He respected Max in his career path and the things that he did. I don’t know that now, he respects him in that way, and I think it’s very smart of Topuria not to hold that respect and have that for Max Holloway because the last guy that Max Holloway fought in Justin Gaethje, who liked Max – he had no bad feelings toward Max.
“He said he couldn’t get himself ready because Max is a great guy. Everybody loves Max. Max Holloway put him out with one of the most devastating knockouts we have seen in a really long time. Ilia Topuria’s not having any of that. Ilia Topuria’s saying, ‘I’m going to knock you out. I’m going to put you into retirement.’ He said he put Volk into retirement already. This dude Ilia is so confident, but why wouldn’t he be? He is the world champion. … If you can fight the way that this man fights, then you can carry yourself in that way.”
Topuria ran through Bryce Mitchell and Josh Emmett before dethroning Alexander Volkanovski by second-round knockout to become featherweight champion at UFC 298. Meanwhile, Holloway re-entered the title picture after an incredible knockout of Justin Gaethje to claim the BMF title at UFC 300.
Daniel Cormier maps out a path for how Alex Pereira can become the greatest UFC fighter of all time.
[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] has mapped out a path for how [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] can become the greatest UFC fighter of all time.
Pereira has now defended his UFC light heavyweight title three times in the span of seven months, most recently with a brutal fourth-round TKO of Khalil Rountree this past Saturday at UFC 307. Pereira, who also held the UFC middleweight title, now has as many title defenses as Cormier did at 205 pounds.
Cormeir said winning a third UFC title could separate Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) from the pack.
“Pereira is in the conversation for the greatest of all time,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “Not yet quite the greatest, but if he can somehow win a fight at heavyweight, compete for the championship, or continue to defend this belt at light heavyweight, I don’t know that you can even question it.
“This is a man who became the middleweight champ, has defended the light heavyweight championship. He was never a real middleweight, though. He was so big that it’s easy to see how Izzy (Adesanya) got him the second time after he won the belt. …This dude is special. He’s very special.”
Cormier revealed that Pereira and his team contemplated pulling out of the fight after “Poatan” was dealing with a slew of injuries. So with Pereira deciding to fight and putting on a memorable performance, Cormier said the sky is the limit for him now.
“I believe he can do whatever he wants at this point, because he’s got a lot of goodwill with the organization right now,” Cormier said. “Pereira was hurt, too. I was talking to his manager and his coach after the fight, and they said they told the UFC, ‘We’re going to go to Salt Lake, and we’re going to try and train, but we may pull out.’ The UFC said to him, ‘That would suck, but let us know how it goes because we have two title fights, and we’ll elevate one if that’s what we need to do.’
“The goodwill you gain from the organization when you do that is unbelievable. So, if he did go into the offices of Dana, Hunter and those guys, and go, ‘I would like to fight Tom Aspinall for the interim championship’ – those actions that he showed last weekend leads to you receiving those types of opportunities. The world is really his oyster in terms of what he can do next, if he so chooses to try a fight up at heavyweight. But for me, it’s fight Ankalaev. Right now, you’ve got to fight Ankalaev if he gets through Rakic.”
Daniel Cormier thinks Julianna Peña should have addressed Kayla Harrison after UFC 307.
[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] should have addressed [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] after UFC 307.
Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) defeated Raquel Pennington (16-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) by split decision to reclaim the bantamweight title in Saturday’s co-main event at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Earlier in the night, Harrison became No. 1 contender when she defeated Ketlen Vieira.
As Peña was speaking to Joe Rogan post fight in the octagon, a camera showed Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) listening in. But instead of mentioning Harrison’s name, Peña called for a trilogy bout with Amanda Nunes, which Cormier says was a mistake.
“I will say this: She dropped the ball on the callout,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I mean, Kayla’s on the screen. Say her name. Why no-sell the person that is clearly going to be your No. 1 contender? There is no world where she does not fight Kayla Harrison. She’s fighting her next.
“You might as well put the sell on it right now. Don’t wait until the fight is announced. Now you’re a step behind when you had the opportunity to be a step ahead going into your fight with Kayla Harrison, who will be the No. 1 contender for your championship as we go forward.”
Harrison was tested by Vieira, who made her taste blood for the first time in her MMA career. Peña later said she wasn’t impressed with Harrison’s performance, but Cormier thinks Harrison failing to completely dominate should have encouraged Peña to build the fight.
“Tonight, it’s not like Kayla Harrison looked the best,” Cormier said. “Kayla’s looked better. Tonight, she looked like a girl that needs to get takedowns and if she doesn’t, she is still in the very early stages of her striking.
“So Julianna Peña should’ve, after this performance, been more willing to say her name. At the end of the day, she becomes the champion again and Mike Valle and his team out at Valle Flow now have two UFC champions on their roster – massive for a gym out of Chicago that isn’t a massive, huge gym.”
Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC 307 on pay-per-view, ESPNews and ESPN+.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
The UFC’s 11th pay-per-view event of 2024 goes down Saturday in Utah.
Here’s how to watch UFC 307 with the light heavyweight and women’s bantamweight titles on the line at the top of the card at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Broadcast and streaming info
Jon Anik, Laura Sanko, Daniel Cormier | UFC 293 commentary team
UFC 307 has a main card that begins at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (via ESPN+). The four-fight preliminary card airs on ESPNews and streams on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET. A trio of early prelims stream on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET.
[autotag]Dan Hellie[/autotag] will host the official UFC 307 weigh-in show on Friday at 10:50 a.m. ET.
[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] will serve as a desk analysts on the UFC 307 post-fight show and throughout the card, when necessary. The host and other analysts are to be determined.
Longtime UFC correspondent [autotag]Megan Olivi[/autotag] will conduct pre and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC 307 card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.
[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside.
He will command play-by-play alongside color commentators, former two-division champion Cormier, as well as [autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag].
[autotag]Din Thomas[/autotag] also will occasionally join the booth throughout the broadcast as the coach-analyst for the event.
He’ll be joined by UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag], former middleweight champion [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] and [autotag]Laura Sanko[/autotag] as analysts.
(Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie)
Main event: Alex Pereira
Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC Opponent: Khalil Rountree (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) Division: Light heavyweight Key wins: Jiri Prochazka (twice), Jamahal Hill, Jan Blachowicz, Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland Misc.: Pereira has become arguably the biggest name in the game. After he came over from a kickboxing career that included two wins over Israel Adesanya, he beat Adesanya to win the middleweight belt. Although he dropped it in a rematch, he quickly went on to win the light heavyweight belt and has defended it with two vicious bonus-winning victories.
Main event: Khalil Rountree
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 12: (R-L) Khalil Rountree Jr. punches Chris Daukaus in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 12, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Record: 14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC Opponent: Alex Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) Division: Light heavyweight Key wins: Anthony Smith, Chris Daukaus, Dustin Jacoby, Karl Roberson, Paul Craig Misc.: Rountree has been shelved for a bit due to a failed drug test – which left plenty of critics disenfranchised that he was given a title shot over other potential challengers. But he has five straight wins, four of which have come by knockout, and three bonuses in that stretch. Still, he’ll be by far the biggest underdog to go up against Pereira yet.
Main event: Raquel Pennington
Jan 20, 2024; Toronto, Canada, USA; Raquel Pennington (red glove) fights Mayra Bueno Silva (blue gloves) during UFC 297 at ScotiaBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC Opponent: Julianna Peña (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) Division: Women’s bantamweight Key wins: Mayra Bueno Silva, Ketlen Vieira, Aspen Ladd, Macy Chiasson, Pannie Kianzad, Marion Reneau, Irene Aldana, Miesha Tate, Jessica Andrade Misc.: After 15 years in the sport, Pennington finally reached the pinnacle in January when she outworked Mayra Bueno Silva for the title vacated by former dual champion Amanda Nunes. The fight with ex-champ Peña will be her first attempted title defense.
Main event: Julianna Peña
Jul 30, 2022; Dallas, TX, USA; Julianna Pena (red gloves) fights Amanda Nunes (blue gloves) in a women’s bantamweight title bout during UFC 277 at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC Opponent: Raquel Pennington (16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC) Division: Women’s bantamweight Key wins: Amanda Nunes, Sara McMann, Cat Zingano, Jessica Eye Misc.: Peña submitted Amanda Nunes to win the title in late 2021 in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. But she was dominated in the rematch eight months later and dropped the belt. She’s been on the shelf for more than two years.
UFC 307 main card betting odds
Kayla Harrison
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ Alex Pereira (-525) vs. Khalil Rountree (+360) – for light heavyweight title
Champ Raquel Pennington (-180) vs. Julianna Peña (+150) – for women’s bantamweight title
Jose Aldo (+145) vs. Mario Bautista (-175)
Kayla Harrison (-850) vs. Ketlen Vieira (+500)
Roman Dolidze (+145) vs. Kevin Holland (-175)
UFC 307 prelim betting odds
Marina Rodriguez
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/ESPN+, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Joaquin Buckley (-200) vs. Stephen Thompson (+170)
Iasmin Lucindo (-175) vs. Marina Rodriguez (+145)
Cesar Almeida (-400) vs. Ihor Potieria (+300)
Alexander Hernandez (-215) vs. Austin Hubbard (+170)
Daniel Cormier thinks Khalil Rountree could pull off a big upset at UFC 307 if Alex Pereira doesn’t take him seriously.
[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] could pull off a big upset if UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] doesn’t take him seriously.
Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) is a big favorite heading into his title defense against Rountree (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC), which headlines Saturday’s UFC 307 event at Delta Center in Salt Lake City (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+).
With the likes of Magomed Ankalaev at the top of the light heavyweight ladder, many questioned Rountree getting the title shot. Cormier said crazy things have happened during UFC events in Utah and warns Pereira not to underestimate Rountree.
“That’s a big fight, but to play the devil’s advocate, in Utah, we have now seen Kamaru Usman dominating Leon Edwards, get knocked out at the very end and Edwards becoming champ,” Cormier said on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Ben Askren. “We’ve also seen Dustin Poirier, who had beaten Justin Gaethje, knocked out, and Justin Gaethje become the BMF champion. So, if there’s anything to be said about Salt Lake City, upsets happen,
“And it would seem that a guy who’s ranked No. (8) in the world taking on the champion is a blueprint for an upset, because in those moments, the champ may overlook him. I don’t know if Pereira will do that, but those are the times – they call them trap games in football. This feels like a trap game for Alex Pereira. And if he ain’t ready, it seems like Khalil Rountree with his power can knock him out.”
According to DraftKings, Pereira is a -500 favorite over Rountree, who’s a +380 underdog. Pereira has defended his light heavyweight title twice, scoring knockouts of Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka.
Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier think they have a way to make Islam Makhachev one of the UFC’s biggest draws.
[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] suggest a way UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] can become one of the prmotion’s biggest draws.
Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) has already tied the UFC divisional record for most title defenses at three after submitting Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in June. He also boasts one of the biggest social media followings on the UFC roster, with 8.7 million on Instagram.
Cormier argued that outside of a few exceptions, you can only be a big pay-per-draw if you go on a long title reign. While he thinks Makhachev has the ability to do that, both he and Sonnen would like to see him tap into a more trash-talking style.
“That guy is so charismatic, and he is so secretly funny,” Sonnen said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Daniel Cormier. “If he was to do a heel turn, I mean, come on. He said one of the great heel lines ever. He said a whole bunch of professors should be taking their black belts back from guys.
“Like that angle and that is blasphemy in this sport, and nobody even knows got it. It was like this G-rated line. He didn’t use profanity. He didn’t yell. When he said it, he said it nicely. That is a heel move! What if he did a whole bit on that?”
Cormier agrees with Sonnen. He thinks Makhachev should embrace his dominance, which has seen him win 14 fights in a row – including finishes of Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski and Charles Oliveira.
“I think that’s the move for Islam,” Cormier said. “He needs to get you and I to write him promos. We should write him promos. We write promos telling how much better he is than everyone. I would make him tell everybody that they don’t deserve to be in there with him, and he’s just going to lord over this division until he decides to retire.”
Daniel Cormier believes Jon Jones and Alex Pereira might be the only two big pay-per-view stars in the UFC right now.
[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] doesn’t think there aren’t too many big pay-per-view stars in the UFC right now – maybe only two.
When looking at the current UFC champions, Cormier believes only heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] have the ability to do big numbers.
“Is there a void of that big star? Because right now it feels like only Jon Jones and Pereira,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “Pereira and Jon Jones might be the only two champions right now that are completely moving the needle.”
Outside of the sport’s biggest star in Conor McGregor, Cormier argues that a long title reign is needed to be a draw. He points to the likes of Jones and Anderson Silva, who reigned supreme over their respective divisions for years. He also thinks Israel Adesanya’s pay-per-view buys were solid only when he was a defending champion.
“Jon Jones right now is a proven draw,” Cormier said. “He will sell pay-per-views. Alex Pereira, under right circumstances, will sell pay-per-views. But then when I list these other names to you, Chael: Zhang Weili, the ’25-pound champion; the Brazilian (Alexandre) Pantoja; Merab Dvalishvili; Ilia Topuria; Islam Makhachev; Belal Muhammad; let’s keep going. … It’s hard to be a long-reigning champion. The problem is the game has gotten so hard now.
“Anderson had what, 11 title defenses? Jones had like 13. Who’s doing that anymore? We talked bout Sean O’Malley as if he had a great title reign. He defended the belt one time. Imagine if he did that seven times. A long title reign is very difficult. A long title reign is what’s needed to become a real draw. You cannot just be a flash-in-the-pan champion. Unfortunately Izzy (Adesanya) was a draw because he held that belt for a long time, but since he lost the belt, the number isn’t as great.”
Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defends his heavyweight title vs. former champ Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Meanwhile, Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) defends his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC 307 main event Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City.
