MMA News

Tag: Daniel Cormier

  • Bisping Thinks DC’s Assessment Of Jones’ HW Potential May Be Biased

    Daniel Cormier recently suggested Jon Jones can’t defeat Francis Ngannou or Ciryl Gane, an opinion former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes is wrong.

    Jones has been on the sidelines since he successfully defended the light heavyweight gold against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020. Despite an impressive performance from Reyes, “Bones” was awarded the nod on the scorecards. The win marked his third defense since winning the title for the second time with a win against Alexander Gustafsson in 2018.

    Believing he’d accomplished everything he could at 205 pounds and cleared out the top contenders in the division, Jones sought a fresh challenge: championship glory in a second division. But after a public despite with the UFC over pay, a potential clash with heavyweight champion Ngannou fell through and the GOAT contender was away from the Octagon for the entirety of 2021.

    Nevertheless, Jones’ bulk to heavyweight has been ongoing, and he now looks primed to make his divisional debut this year. In the minds of most, Jones will likely challenge the winner of next weekend’s unification fight between Ngannou and interim titleholder Gane.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXhOaYSvHgQ/

    Jones’ former rival Cormier fully expects him to make his first appearance at heavyweight this year and believes he deserves to dictate the weight classes’ title picture. However, “DC” doesn’t expect the former two-time undisputed champ to defeat the elite in the division.

    During a recent episode of his ESPN show DC & RC, the former heavyweight and light heavyweight king, who knows a thing or two about achieving two-division glory, claimed Jones’ layoff would play a major factor in fights against Ngannou and Gane, two names he doesn’t think Jones can beat.

    “I believe that Jon Jones will fight at heavyweight and he’ll fight for the belt, but he’ll lose to Ciryl Gane or Francis Ngannou,” Cormier said. “I just think that the time away, with the weight difference, and those guys being who they are, that’s the problem. It’s not that Jones has gotten worse; it’s just that these guys are a different level of heavyweight.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

    Bisping’s Opinion Differs From His Broadcast Colleague’s

    One man who clearly disagrees with Daniel Cormier’s take is his fellow UFC color commentator Michael Bisping. Responding to the remarks in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, “The Count” suggested Cormier’s comments may have been “skewed” due to his bitter rivalry with Jones.

    “He (Cormier) came out today and made a statement that said, ‘Jon Jones will never become the heavyweight champion…’ I think I gotta disagree with Daniel Cormier here,” said Bisping. “Because he does know him, and because they have that history, and because they don’t like one another, I believe that maybe that’s skewing the judgment of DC just a little bit here.”

    For Bisping, given that Jones is one of the greatest of all time and still under the age of 35, the recent layoff won’t play a massive part in his performances when he returns. Despite admitting the two titleholders at heavyweight are phenomenal fighters, the Englishman doesn’t believe Jones can be counted out given what he’s accomplished in his career to date.

    “We’re talking, regardless of his behaviour outside the Octagon, and regardless of the steroid test… the reality is, if you look at the performances, he’s potentially the greatest of all time,” added Bisping. “He’s beat everybody at their own style. He would make a point of doing that, he would beat them at their very own style. He’s not even 35 yet, so there’s no way he’s going to show up ‘old.’

    “Ciryl Gane is unbelievable, Francis Ngannou is unbelievable, they’re gonna fight next weekend, I don’t know who’s gonna win that fight… But still, Jon Jones is out there. Jon Jones has a resume. Jon Jones is one of the best to ever do it. So to say that he can’t come back after all this time and beat those guys, I don’t think I agree… To say he has no chance, I don’t think that’s right,” concluded Bisping.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXxpEd7j3PX/

    With any luck, Jones’ return will remain on track and either Bisping or Cormier will be proved right in the coming months. No doubt the victor of that debate will be eager to rub it in when they share the commentary desk after Jones’ return.

    Who do you agree with, Michael Bisping or Daniel Cormier?

  • Daniel Cormier Has No Interest In Training Jake Paul At AKA

    Daniel Cormier is not keen on the idea of Jake Paul joining his gym.

    Jake Paul has taken the world of boxing by storm. He might be one of the most talked-about fighters on the planet. Now, he is teasing a transition to MMA and wants to train at one of the best gyms in the country, American Kickboxing Academy (AKA). That gym is home to some of the best the UFC has ever seen, including Khabib Nurmagomeodv, Cain Velasquez, and Daniel Cormier.

    Recently, AKA Head Coach Javier Mendez spoke about Paul possibly joining the gym. He expressed admiration for what Paul has done to get his fight career off the ground but also mentioned that the team needs to vote on him joining and if anyone is against it he would not be welcome. One man is already speaking out against the move. That man is Daniel Cormier.

    “No, I have no interest in that,” Cormier told The Schmo on his Youtube channel. “It seems like a lot of ploys, right? It’s always ploys. I don’t know how true much of it is, but it seems like a ploy to me, so I’m not going to play that game.”

    Paul and Cormier have had their share of public trash talking. Cormier was critical of Paul and his boxing skills, so Paul offered to fight Cormier. Cormier responded that he would face Paul but only in an MMA fight. Now that Paul is actually planning a go at MMA, perhaps training with a man you want to fight is not a good idea.

    Cormier is retired from MMA and is likely not going to fight Paul at all. However, retired fighters are exactly who Paul targets. And with the amount of money offered in Paul’s bouts, Cormier, who has a huge weight advantage, might just be persuaded to take one more fight.

    Do you think Daniel Cormier would ever fight Jake Paul in MMA or boxing?

  • Daniel Cormier Believes Jon Jones Should Dictate HW Title Picture

    Daniel Cormier thinks Jon Jones could be next for the heavyweight title.

    Daniel Cormier knows what it is like to be the UFC heavyweight champion. Now as a retired fighter and UFC analyst, Cormier is on the outside looking in. With a heavyweight championship bout happening in just a few weeks, the future of the division is now a topic of conversation. Cormier believes that the winner between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 will find themselves matched up with Jon Jones next.

    “Honestly, it’s just a matter of when Jones gets there,” Cormier told The Schmo. “And rightfully so.

    “For all that he’s done at 205, when he goes to heavyweight, it is his matchup to turn down. It has to be for Jon Jones and what he decides to do.”

    Jon Jones was the longtime king at light heavyweight. He decided to make the move to heavyweight back in May of 2020 but has yet to do so. He is working on his physique and putting on weight to get ready for his heavyweight debut.

    Last year, there was some UFC negotiation trouble and legal trouble that made Jones’ return to the cage unclear. However, with all this Jones drama, Cormier still thinks it will be him next in line anyway, not former two-time champion Stipe Miocic.

    “As much as Stipe is probably deserving, are we talking deserving, or what is going to happen?” Cormier explained. “Because even though Stipe is deserving, Jones makes it known that he is at heavyweight and ready to fight he’s going to be the guy who gets the title fight.”

    Stipe Miocic is itching at another chance at Ngannou or whoever is holding the belt come Jan. 23. Miocic was the longest-running UFC heavyweight champion and has been waiting for a shot to show that he is still champion material. Miocic was overlooked when the UFC decided to make the interim title and now might be waiting even longer if Jones jumps the line.

    Do you agree with Cormier that Jones will get a title shot before Stipe Miocic?

  • Cormier Names Which UFC Prospect Impressed The Most In 2021 Debut

    Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has named Umar Nurmagomedov as the 2021 UFC debutant who impressed him the most.

    Umar, the cousin of former undefeated UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, made his first appearance in the Octagon in the promotion’s second card of the year. Before establishing his name on MMA’s biggest stage, the 25-year-old had built an unblemished 12-0 record that included six submission triumphs.

    At UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Magny on Abu Dhabi’s Fight Island, Nurmagomedov returned to action for the first time since 2019, squaring off against Kazakhstan’s Sergey Morozov, who was also debuting that night. With “The Eagle” in his corner, the Russian prospect got off to the perfect start in the UFC, submitting Morozov with a second-round rear-naked choke.

    Cormier Chooses Umar Over Garry & Pimblett

    For color commentator Cormier, who trained at American Kickboxing Academy alongside Khabib and the UFC’s large Dagestani contingent, Umar made the biggest splash out of any debuting UFC prospect in 2021. That’s despite a host of exciting new talents making themselves known in the Octagon across the last 12 months.

    Among them are Ireland’s Ian Garry and England’s Paddy Pimblett. While Garry, tipped by many to be the next Conor McGregor, delivered a highlight-reel knockout against Jordan Williams at Madison Square Garden in November, Pimblett delivered on his promise to finish Luigi Vendramini inside one round two months prior.

    But despite both men finishing their opponents inside the opening frame, the pair experienced early adversity and perhaps displayed less sound defense than Nurmagomedov.

    Speaking on a recent episode of DC & RC, Cormier cited the less-clean nature of Pimblett and Garry’s debuts as his reason for choosing the Russian.

    “He (Pimblett) got hurt. Great performance, but he got hurt. I think I’m gonna do Ian Garry, was Ian Garry hurt? I think Ian Garry got hurt… I’m tapping out, only because they got hurt a little, but still, very impressed by Paddy, and very, very impressed by Ian Garry.

    “This guy, this guy right here (Umar Nurmagomedov). That’s the guy that had the most impressive debut for a prospect. But I forgot about it. Like John said on ABC, it seems so far away. But you remember, Ryan. You remember Umar Nurmagomedov, right? Yes. Him taking the guy down, and choking him out; the whole thing, right? ‘I made my debut better than Khabib,’ that’s the performance. That’s the one. And guess what? He was clean. That’s the performance for me that I’m gonna say was the most elite prospect debut in the UFC.” (h/t Sportskeeda)

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CKRjRF9r4yS/

    Having not appeared since his debut victory in January, Umar looked set for the chance to continue his rise up the bantamweight ladder in the first quarter of 2022. The 25-year-old was booked to face UK prospect Jack Shore on the March 19 UFC Fight Night card. The event is expected to signal the promotion’s return to London, England.

    However, Nurmagomedov has been forced to withdraw and has been replaced by his compatriot Timur Valiev. With that in mind, the wait for the highly-touted prospect’s return goes on.

    Which UFC prospect impressed you the most in their debut this year?

  • Dominick Cruz Denies Jabbing Keith Peterson In Praise Of Marc Goddard

    Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz cleared the air on his UFC 269 post-fight remarks that he was happy with referee Marc Goddard.

    Cruz’s praise of Goddard was particularly notable after he blasted Keith Peterson following his loss to Henry Cejudo at UFC 249. He lost to Cejudo via TKO after Cruz suffered heavy blows on the ground and the feet, though he claimed he was still defending himself.

    Cruz’s wishes for not having Peterson officiate his next fights were granted in recent wins over Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz. Following his win over Munhoz, Cruz praised Goddard for allowing him to continue fighting through an early barrage.

    During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Cruz denied that praising Goddard was in some way an indirect slight at Peterson.

    “I gave kudos to Marc Goddard and the Las Vegas commission for the great job they did with the show,” Cruz said. “And I heard it in that moment in the interview. He said, ‘Well, look, you took a stab at Keith Peterson, I noticed, and you gave kudos to Marc Goddard.’ And I said, ‘Hold on one second. That’s exactly what happened with me and Cormier right there,’ is whatever got said you can twist it and hear your interpretation and write a headline that everyone’s gonna click. 

    “That’s the world we live in today,” Cruz continued. “But the truth is I never said (anything) about Keith Peterson. You did. And I gave kudos to Marc Goddard and that got turned into me talking bad about Keith Peterson? How does that happen?”

    Dominick Cruz Has Never Been One To Hold Back His Opinions

    Along with his successes in the Octagon, Cruz has turned into arguably one of the top UFC commentators in the promotion. He’s become a main fixture of many UFC Fight Night events, especially during the UFC’s time broadcasting events at the UFC Apex.

    Cruz has also been in a bit of hot water with some fans and fellow athletes after he publically criticized Daniel Cormier’s commentary. He later went on to point out that he made the comments in the middle of weight cutting.

    Cruz is now much closer to re-entering the bantamweight title picture after back-to-back wins in the Octagon, and he could earn more of a spotlight if he can keep up his recent winning ways.

    What are your thoughts on Dominick Cruz’s latest comments?

  • Daniel Cormier Pivots, Touts Kamaru Usman As Male Fighter of The Year

    After he originally named Ciryl Gane as the top male fighter of 2021, Daniel Cormier has changed his mind and tabbed Kamaru Usman with the top spot.

    Usman went 3-0 in 2021, with dominant performances over the likes of Jorge Masvidal, Gilbert Burns, and Colby Covington. After earning the title over Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 in 2019, he’s emerged as arguably the best MMA fighter on the planet.

    Cormier has turned into one of the most prominent voices in MMA media after an accolade-filled UFC career. He recently named Gane as his Fighter of the Year after earning the interim heavyweight title.

    During a recent segment of his “DC & RC” show, he explained his reasoning for changing his mind in favor of Usman.

    “I did the weigh-in show a few weeks ago, and I picked Ciryl Gane,” Cormier said. “Because he beat Alexander Volkov, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and beat Derrick Lewis for the interim title to face Francis Ngannou. But then when I started to think about it and looked at who Kamaru Usman has beaten, how he’s beaten them. We don’t get champions like him who is as dominant and fights as often. He’s not only defended the belt three times but has also made a jump in terms of his profile, visibility, and marketability. Everything is at an elite level after beating those top guys.”

    Kamaru Usman Ended 2021 As The UFC’s Pound-For-Pound No. 1

    Usman had arguably the best year of his career in 2021 and capped it off with the top spot on the UFC’s pound-for-pound list. He earned the top spot over stars such as Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones.

    Usman’s final hurdle of the year came in a highly-anticipated title rematch against Covington. It was another back-and-forth battle, but Usman was able to endure Covington’s late surge and retain the title.

    Usman has also teased a potential boxing super-fight against Canelo Alvarez, although it remains to be seen if it’ll come to fruition.

    There are arguably a plethora of MMA fighters worth of Male Fighter of the Year, but Cormier thinks Usman deserves the award more than anyone in the sport.

    Do you agree with Daniel Cormier?

  • Archives: Miocic Sends Message To DC After Jones’ Test Incident (2018)

    Yesterday, we shared an editorial from last year that documented Jon Jones’ chaotic drug-testing history. Once the news broke of another atypical test finding for Jones, Daniel Cormier was expectedly one of the first to react. Stipe Miocic would then react to Cormier’s reaction, five months after DC defeated him for the UFC heavyweight championship.

    The following story is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 26, 2018, 10:23 AM]

    Headline: Stipe Miocic Sends Message To DC After Jones’ Drug Test Incident

    Author: Jon Fuentes

    Current UFC “Champ Champ” Daniel Cormier’s mixed martial arts (MMA) career is coming to an end. Cormier has said that, following his heavyweight title defense over Derrick Lewis in November, he has one fight left in him. It’s believed that fight will be against the returning Brock Lesnar sometime in the first quarter of 2019. However, it’s also believed Cormier will fight longtime rival Jon Jones once more before retiring as well.

    Should that take place, however, there will always be doubts about Jones’ competitive integrity. After having issues with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in the past, Jones has once again found himself in a bit of controversy. “Bones” is set to face Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of this weekend’s UFC 232 pay-per-view (PPV). Initially, the fight was to take place in Las Vegas.

    However, traces of turinabol were recently detected in Jones’ system. It has been said that those traces are leftover from Jones’ initial failed drug test last year, and are not new traces. Despite this, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) did not license Jones to fight this weekend. This forced the UFC to move UFC 232 from Vegas to California, where Jones was able to get licensed.

    After the news initially broke, Cormier took to Twitter to react:

    “He tested positive again!”

    Stipe Miocic, the man Cormier defeated to win the heavyweight title, offered a response:

    “I’m always clean. I train and drink Modelo.”

    “I know you are and that’s why It was a pleasure in the lead up to the fight with you, and if we do it again it will be the same.”

    What do you make of Miocic’s message to Cormier after Jones’ drug test incident?

  • Archives: Cormier’s Unopened Christmas Gift From Brock Lesnar (2018)

    In April of 2018, Daniel Cormier was eying champ-champ status with another gift waiting for him with a win other than just a second world title.

    Prior to UFC 226, Cormier and then-heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic were both teased with the possibility that the winner of their fight could face Brock Lesnar next. That possibility seemed more real than ever when this moment happened after Cormier’s victory.

    Unfortunately, nothing ever came from it, and Lesnar has not competed in the UFC since UFC 200 two years prior.

    Speaking of UFC 200, in the below article, Daniel Cormier recalled back to when Lesnar told him he would be joining that stacked lineup. Cormier may not have received the Christmas gift he was after following UFC 226, but he was more than happy to learn that Santa Lesnar would be coming down to Las Vegas to help him bag some money in 2016.

    The following article is presented in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 16, 2018, 12:21 PM]

    Headline: Daniel Cormier Opens Up On Potential Fight With Brock Lesnar

    Author: Andrew Ravens

    Although Daniel Cormier has his next fight lined up, he has his eyes set on a potential fight down the road.

    The light heavyweight champion is slated to take on heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic this summer at the UFC 226 pay-per-view event.

    As seen at the UFC 25 Anniversary press conference earlier this month, UFC President Dana White was asked about the possibility of former heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar fighting the winner of this bout later this year if Lesnar decided to return to the promotion. White stated that it could happen.

    After his fight with hard-hitting Mark Hunt in a heavyweight bout at UFC 200 in July of 2016, which Lesnar won by decision, it was announced that he tested positive for anti-estrogen drugs called clomiphene and hydroxy-clomiphene from his samples that were collected in the weeks leading up to the fight.

    As a result, the Nevada State Athletic Commission gave Lesnar a fine of $250k of his disclosed $2.5 million purse and a one-year suspension. It should be noted that his suspension is up on July 9, 2017 and that he’s still under contract with the WWE. 

    Lesnar has competed just once inside of the cage since 2011. The former UFC champion holds notable wins over fighters such as Shane Carwin Randy Couture and Frank Mir.

    Cormier opened up on the possibility of fighting Lesnar inside the Octagon during a recent interview with MMA Fighting.

    “That thing never happens unless I get past Stipe, but just hearing out loud was like, oh my goodness,” Cormier said. “Hey, I know that when I fight Jon Jones, I make a lot of money. I know that if I was to ever fight a Brock Lesnar, I’m going to make even more money than I’ve ever made in entire life. And ultimately, championships and money is why we do this. I don’t care for all the other stuff. I want to get paid. I’m almost 40, the door’s about to close on me, so why not ride out into the sunset with a massive payday? Truckloads of money. Back up Brinks truck to Gilroy, California if you fight Brock Lesnar, I’m telling you.

    “He told me last time, right? When that thing broke that he was fighting at UFC 200, I said, ‘Big Brock, is it Christmas morning in the Cormier household?’ He goes, ‘Merry Christmas, DC. You’re welcome.’ That’s what he told me. He knows that the money’s coming. When he’s on your card or if you’re fighting against him, he knows that you’re getting paid.”

    What are your thoughts on Lesnar potentially fighting the winner of Miocic – Cormier? Sound off in the comment section below.

  • Cormier Criticizes Woodley For KO Meme Contest, Blames Jake Paul

    Daniel Cormier isn’t a fan of how Tyron Woodley has handled himself following his sixth-round knockout loss to Jake Paul.

    Woodley has rolled with the punches since the devastating defeat, even going as far as hosting a fan contest on his Instagram for the best knockout meme. He ended up paying one fan $5,000 for a meme that went viral earlier this week.

    Woodley appears to be optimistic about his fighting future and is handling the loss on his terms. However, Cormier doesn’t like the optics of Woodley making fun of himself in light of the vicious knockout.

    Cormier explained his position during a recent episode of ESPN’s DC & RC.

    “It’s a bad look. And you know what’s worse? [What happened] after,” Cormier said of Woodley. “I don’t know what T-Wood was doing on social media. He pulls the knockout. He made a contest about [making memes of himself], it’s like Jake Paul is beating these dudes so bad, that they start to make fun of themselves.” (h/t Sportskeeda)

    Tyron Woodley Looks To Get Back To His Old Winning Ways

    Woodley took the fight on just days’ notice after Tommy Fury pulled out due to an injury. He was allegedly getting ready for a fight in January when the call came for a rematch with Paul.

    Woodley has appeared forward-thinking after the loss to Paul, hinting at a busy 2022. He’s planning on potential boxing and MMA fights as he approaches his 40th birthday.

    Woodley has had his fair share of struggles as of late. Before his back-to-back losses to Paul in the boxing ring, he lost four-straight bouts in the UFC before ultimately parting ways with the promotion.

    What are your thoughts on how Tyron Woodley has handled the KO loss to Jake Paul?

  • Cormier & Peña Disagree On Amanda Nunes’ Decision To Tap At UFC 269

    Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes Amanda Nunes “took her ball and went home” against Julianna Peña at UFC 269.

    At the final pay-per-view of 2021, fans were treated to one of the greatest upsets in UFC history. In the co-main event, Peña challenged what looked to be an unstoppable reign atop the bantamweight division for double champ Nunes. The narrative for many leading into the fight was that the immense confidence “The Venezuelan Vixen” had would be shut down by the “Lioness,” who branded her foe as “delusional.”

    What transpired instead was nothing short of incredible. After a strong opening round for Nunes, Peña turned the heat up in the second, keeping the Brazilian at bay with her jab and standing toe-to-toe with her on the feet. After Nunes’ body language and facial expression changed, the underdog dragged her to the mat and submitted her.

    The finish resembled a parody of a nature show, with the zebra turning the tables and actually hunting down and tearing apart the lioness themselves.

    Like a portion of fans and pundits in the combat sports community, Cormier, who was calling the fight Octagon-side, believes Nunes was mentally defeated during the fight and perhaps chose to end it before she should have.

    “It was crazy, because for as crazy as it seems, she beat Amanda to the point that she made Amanda Nunes take her football and went home,” Cormier said on the latest episode of DC & RC. “It’s like the kid that gets beaten and is like, ‘I’m going home.’

    “It’s hard to say Amanda Nunes quit. But, when you look at her body language and you look at the way the choke was put in, you question whether or not that unfamiliar thought crept back into her mind… We speak about her in such legendary terms. We speak about the company that she keeps in terms of female sports. To tap like that after being in that choke, it almost feels like she should’ve just went to sleep… If you’re gonna lose, your place amongst the greats, even if it’s temporary, she can go back and beat Julianna Peña, but it felt like she should go out on her shield more.”

    Peña: “She Had No Choice But To Tap”

    Unsurprisingly, the newly-crowned UFC women’s bantamweight champion sees it a lot differently. During an appearance on The MMA Hour just days out from her title crowning, Peña claimed the choke was something she’d been working ahead of the fight, and suggested Nunes had no choice but tap.

    “Yeah, Rick [Little] and I have been working this choke for a while, and it was the same pretty much variation choke that I got with Sara McMann. It was absolutely tight, and she had no choice but to tap. People want to say that she quit. She didn’t quit. She was getting choked, you know? She had no choice but to tap. I would have broke her neck. So she tapped because she had no choice.”

    Whether Nunes tapped prematurely, knew she was beaten, or genuinely had no choice, it certainly doesn’t matter for Peña. “The Venezuelan Vixen” did what no woman had done in Nunes’ previous 12 fights: She broke her inside the Octagon.

    Who do you agree with, Julianna Peña or Daniel Cormier?

  • Dominick Cruz Shares His One Regret About Viral Cormier Criticisms

    Dominick Cruz regrets his viral comments criticizing Daniel Cormier’s performance as a color analyst—sort of.

    Prior to UFC 269, one story that made headlines across the MMA media was the critical remarks made by Dominick Cruz regarding Daniel Cormier’s job preparation as a color analyst. Here is a portion of what was said during the UFC 269 pre-fight media scrum.

    “I watch (Jon) Anik do so much homework leading up to a fight. Like, people have no idea how much homework he has to do to be prepared for that, and the most kudos, for me, goes to him. He leads us in the broadcast with how he talks. When it comes to DC, I usually mute it. I love DC, he’s my friend, but to me, from my experience, he doesn’t do the homework. He wants to get in and out, get the job done, make his money.”

    Cruz and Cormier later had a face-to-face dialogue to hash things out within hours of Cruz’s comments going viral. Cormier would then go on to serve as one of the commentators for Cruz’s UFC 269 bout against Pedro Munhoz, which saw the former bantamweight champion pick up his second consecutive win.

    Dominick Cruz Shares One Regret About His Viral Comments

    Dominick Cruz Daniel Cormier
    Photo via Facebook – Dominick Cruz

    Now a week removed from his comments and with the chaos of a PPV fight week now behind him, Dominick Cruz appeared on Monday’s installment of The MMA Hour hosted by Ariel Helwani.

    During the interview, Cruz was asked if he has any regrets about his comments. If he could do it again, Cruz would have said the same thing, but there is one thing he would have changed.

    “I don’t regret what I said because I hadn’t eaten in three days, I hadn’t drank in two days. They asked me questions, I spoke from my heart. And I don’t really regret what I said because it wasn’t mean. It was very loving. But what I regret, I guess, is where I said it. Maybe I shouldn’t have said it there because then that allowed the media to take it and do whatever they wanted with it.”

    As he did in the face-to-face discussion with Cormier, Cruz accused the media of manipulating his words for the sake of clicks. He would then clarify the point he was attempting to make when expressing the criticisms. According to Cruz, it was more about asking key, job-related questions as opposed to outright dressing down his partner.

    “You and me both know I love Cormier. You love Cormier. How do you not love Cormier?” Cruz asked Helwani. “He’s got the personality of gold. I get that. This was a completely different question we had. This was about job and what is your job? ‘Not everyone needs to do it your way, Dom.’ I hear you.

    “The point is, what is the job of a color analyst? Not my job. Not what is my job as a color analyst. What is your job as a color analyst? Well, is it just to know off the top of your head what these guys do? Put yourself in their position, Cormier. Would you want someone to watch film before you fight, or would you want them to not? That was the only question I asked. All the other defense came from whatever else it came from. I simply asked questions.”

    Cruz stated that he was satisfied with Cormier’s commentating performance during his UFC 269 bout with Pedro Munhoz. As someone who knows full well how difficult the job of an MMA color analyst is, the bantamweight legend appreciates, more than anything, whenever someone’s best effort is made while sitting at the desk.

  • Daniel Cormier Responds To Sean O’Malley’s Criticism Of His Commentary

    Sean O’Malley became the latest fighter to criticize Daniel Cormier’s commentary, and Cormier has issued a response.

    In the lead-up to UFC 269, Dominick Cruz blasted Cormier for not doing his homework and studying fights for his commentary role. He claimed ‘DC’ was just in it for the money.

    It was a surprise to hear Cruz say that, but other fighters have also criticized Cormier, but more so for being biased. For instance, Justin Gaethje blasted the former champ-champ for saying Islam Makhachev deserved a title shot after his win over Dan Hooker.

    In O’Malley’s previous fight against Kris Moutinho at UFC 264, Cormier said O’Malley kept looking at the clock, which meant he was tired. However, ‘Suga” said he was looking at the time to see how much time he had left to get the stoppage.

    “Yeah, I’m gonna look at the clock. If I didn’t look at the clock, I wouldn’t know how much time I have left. I landed a big shot. I  don’t know much time I got left. I gotta know, should I empty my tank and try to take this dude out, or should I wait and have the rest of the fight—save my energy,” O’Malley said at the UFC 269 post-fight press conference.

    After hearing about O’Malley’s criticism, Cormier took to social media to praise Suga about his performance and also issue a response to his comments.

    “SugaSeanMMA great win tonight, you and I spoke this week you could have told me that! It was simple I wouldn’t have done anything but took you criticism. You looked great tonight!,” Cormier wrote.

    As of right now, Sean O’Malley has not responded to Daniel Cormier’s comments on Twitter. Whether or not he will is to be seen. Regardless, O’Malley got the first-round TKO win over Paiva at UFC 269 to pick up the biggest win of his career.

    What do you make of Sean O’Malley criticizing Daniel Cormier’s commentary?

  • O’Malley Slams Cormier’s ‘Amateur’ Commentary: “Don’t Say Stupid S**t”

    You can add Sean O’Malley to the list of Daniel Cormier’s commentary critics.

    Last week, Daniel Cormier was the subject of criticism for his performance as a UFC commentator by his own colleague, Dominick Cruz. Cormier and Cruz later hashed things out to some degree with the aid of mediator Michael Bisping. Cormier would then go on to call Cruz’s UFC 269 victory over Pedro Munhoz alongside Joe Rogan and Jon Anik without missing a beat.

    However, there is another fighter who competed at UFC 269 who has something to say about Cormier’s commentating skills or perceived lack thereof.

    “Suga” Sean O’Malley defeated Raulian Paiva to kick off the pay-per-view and was then asked how the fight played out relative to his expectations during the post-fight press conference. Here is what O’Malley said in response.

    “I did see [the Paiva fight] playing out like that. And I want to thank myself for looking at the clock and seeing how much time was left because some people, Daniel Cormier—my last fight, he’s like, ‘Oh, my god! He’s looking at the clock!’ It’s like, what are you talking about, dude? Of course. Yeah, I’m gonna look at the clock. If I didn’t look at the clock, I wouldn’t know how much time I have left. I landed a big shot. I  don’t know much time I got left. I gotta know, should I empty my tank and try to take this dude out, or should I wait and have the rest of the fight—save my energy. 

    Kris Moutinho O'Malley
    PHOTO: MMA FIGHTING

    “So that kinda bugged me (that he) kept bringing that up. ‘Oh, he looked at the clock! Oh, he looked at the clock!’ It’s like, dude’s a double-champ. It’s like, where’s your IQ, your fight IQ? You think LeBron James is gonna fuckin’ drive the ball down and not look at the clock? It’s amateur…

    “Don’t say stupid shit,” O’Malley later added about Cormier’s commentary.

    O’Malley Shares Theory To Explain His Perception Of DC’s Commentary

    In the above comments, O’Malley is referencing his UFC 264 victory over Kris Moutinho in July. Cormier pointed out that O’Malley was repeatedly looking at the clock during the fight, with the implication being that O’Malley was tiring to Moutinho’s relentless forward pressure.

    The more O’Malley thought about it, he eventually landed on a theory that could explain Cormier’s commentary.

    “I’ve always felt like DC wants me to lose,” O’Malley said. “I don’t know. I could be completely wrong. I just sat down with him the other day. It’s not like he doesn’t like me personally. I just feel like he kinda wants to see me lose. I don’t know what it is, if I remind him of a young Jon Jones—but for some reason, I feel like he wants me to lose.”

    O’Malley would taper these criticisms by saying there’s a chance he is being overly sensitive and is way off base. He also confessed that he himself would be terrible at the gig and that UFC commentators have a very difficult job to do.

    Commentary aside, O’Malley has now moved to 15-1 as a professional and is now on a three-fight winning streak. As O’Malley awaits his next fight, perhaps now he and Cormier could hash out these criticisms in the public eye with or without the aid of Michael Bisping.

    What are your thoughts on these comments from Sean O’Malley regarding Daniel Cormier’s commentary?

  • Cormier & Cruz Hash It Out Over Cruz’s Criticisms Of DC’s Commentary

    Former UFC champions and current broadcast colleagues Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz sat down to have an open dialogue about Cruz’s brutally honest and very public feedback about Cormier’s commentating.

    This Saturday at UFC 269, Dominick Cruz will be competing against Pedro Munhoz in a high-level bout between two veterans ranked in the bantamweight division’s top 10. But that’s not the story Cruz made headlines for yesterday. Instead, that would be his harsh take on Daniel Cormier’s job performance as a UFC commentator/analyst.

    During a media scrum ahead of UFC 269, here is what Cruz had to say about his broadcast partner:

    “I watch (Jon) Anik do so much homework leading up to a fight. Like, people have no idea how much homework he has to do to be prepared for that, and the most kudos, for me, goes to him. He leads us in the broadcast with how he talks. When it comes to DC, I usually mute it,” Cruz said with a chuckle.

    “I love DC, he’s my friend, but to me, from my experience, he doesn’t do the homework. He wants to get in and out, get the job done, make his money. I think he cares about us, but it’s just different. He doesn’t do the preparation from my experience. He might now. I’m hoping that he watches some film this time, on me, so he knows what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. But I’m not going to hold my breath on that, for sure.”

    Cormier & Cruz Have Face-To-Face Conversation About Cruz’s Criticisms

    Cruz Mutes Cormier On Commentary: 'He Doesn't Do The Homework'
    Dominick Cruz, Daniel Cormier

    Soon after Cruz’s comments spread like wildfire throughout the MMA media, Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz had a sit-down conversation that was published on Cormier’s YouTube channel. What follows is a full recap of their conversation.

    The conversation began with Cormier attempting to nonchalantly have an interview about Cruz’s upcoming fight. Cruz, having already established his frank nature, preferred to skip the formalities and relative small talk and address the elephant in the room. Cormier politely implied that such conversations are better left private, to which Cruz proposed they speak ‘privately in public.’

    Cormier disagreed, stating things that are discussed privately should remain behind closed doors. Cruz asked who made that rule and stated that he was merely holding Cormier accountable out of love. Cruz used the analogy of Cormier holding his children accountable if they do something wrong and that it’s all out of love. Cormier replied that it’s only love in Cruz’s mind.

    Cormier: What do you hold me accountable for?

    Cruz: Not watching film.

    Cormier: Dominick, there’s different ways to prepare for a fight than watching film. It’s not singular.

    Cruz: It’s not part of it?

    Cormier: It’s not singular. I do watch film. I watch film every single time. Do I watch fights to the extent that you watch fights? No…I will openly sit here and say that I don’t watch fights to the extent that Dominick Cruz (watches it).

    Cormier concluded that because he doesn’t combat Cruz’s opinions, Cruz thinks they must be true. He would then tell Cruz to his face that he violated their trust as colleagues and friends.

    Cormier: It’s like, Dominick Cruz, I’ve watched you for years. I’ve watched you. I’ve studied you. But that’s the thing, though, because I don’t combat your opinions, you continue to build on those opinions. And honestly, can I say something? Can I tell you something right now as a friend?

    Cruz: Please.

    Cormier: It was wrong of you to say what you said this morning. 

    Cruz: Oh, so I’m wrong?

    Cormier: Because it was not fair of you as a colleague to do that publicly. You should tell me. That is a blatant mistrust of friendship and as a colleague.

    Daniel Cormier Offers Criticism To Dominick Cruz In Return

    At this point and to keep things fair, Cruz urged Cormier to give him an honest performance review as well.

    Cormier: I think you’re a fantastic analyst. 

    Cruz: Why?

    Cormier: Because you’re prepared, I think you enjoy the fights, and you love your job.

    Cruz pushed Cormier to provide negative feedback as well so that this aspect of their reviews would not be one-sided. Cormier would oblige.

    “I think you can be a bit dry,” Cormier offered.

    When Cruz disagreed with that assessment, this visibly flabbergasted the former double champion.

    At this point, a third man joined the conversation to “mediate,” a fellow colleague and former UFC champion, Michael “The Count” Bisping.

    UFC on ESPN 31 commentary team set: Cormier, Bisping lead the booth
    Jeff Bottari | Credit: Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

    Not long after joining the convo, Bisping told Cruz that he was in the wrong for sharing those thoughts publicly. He also revealed that Cormier used to pay someone to assist him with research, but he stopped this arrangement so that he could process the information himself and also save money.

    Cormier was asked to explain more about the researcher, and his testimony did not seem to bolster his case all that much.

    Cormier: So I had a researcher that I would pay to give me all my notes, and I would go and call the fights.

    Cruz: So how is that watching film?!

    Cormier: But then I would watch the fights still, but the guy would give me all the background stuff and all that.

    Cruz: Why? That’s your job.

    Before Cormier could respond, Bisping interjected and explained on his behalf that he didn’t pay the researcher to do all the research and film study, only some of it.

    Towards the end of the conversation, Cruz blamed the media for not providing the full context for his criticism. He also clarified that he never stated Cormier was a bad commentator.

    In any event, although Cruz still did not understand why Cormier and Bisping believe his comments would have been better kept private, he did make sure to throw in some positive feedback to his partner as well.

    “But this stuff that we’re talking about is much more fun ’cause now, the media can’t create some dark picture that I don’t appreciate you as an analyst. Because this is the truth: I do appreciate you as an analyst. I do. I think that you’re an Olympic gold medalist and you bring a different repertoire in that vision that I don’t have.”

    Cruz did not backtrack on his criticisms of Cormier’s research skills, however, and Cormier would ultimately bring the conversation to a close, expressing that things went off the rails.

    You can view the full conversation for yourself below. You can also watch Dominick Cruz’s full media day press scrum to judge for yourself if his comments were taken out of context.

  • Cruz Mutes Cormier On Commentary: ‘He Doesn’t Do The Homework’

    Just because Dominick Cruz does commentary with Daniel Cormier does not mean he likes his broadcast partner’s style.

    In addition to his career inside the Octagon, Cruz has made a name for himself as a well-established commentator, albeit with a mixed review amongst fans. While some appreciate his extremely technical breakdowns, others feel that he can be a bit confrontational in the booth, oftentimes being seen having miniature arguments with the other commentators during events.

    One of the people that he seems to take regular issue with during broadcasts is fellow former champion Daniel Cormier. Speaking to media ahead of his return to action at UFC 269, in which Cormier will be commentating his fight with Pedro Munhoz, Cruz explained that while he loves DC as a person, he could do without his commentary.

    “I watch (Jon) Anik do so much homework leading up to a fight. Like, people have no idea how much homework he has to do to be prepared for that, and the most kudos, for me, goes to him. He leads us in the broadcast with how he talks. When it comes to DC, I usually mute it,” Cruz said with a chuckle.

    Dominick Cruz: Daniel Cormier doesn't do homework as UFC analyst
    Dominick Cruz, Daniel Cormier, Image Credit: USA TODAY Sports

    “I love DC, he’s my friend, but to me, from my experience, he doesn’t do the homework. He wants to get in and out, get the job done, make his money. I think he cares about us, but it’s just different. He doesn’t do the preparation from my experience. He might now. I’m hoping that he watches some film this time, on me, so he knows what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. But I’m not going to hold my breath on that, for sure.”

    That being said, Dominick Cruz knows that he is not perfect when it comes to his work as a commentator, even though he works hard to be. However, he says it all comes down to how each person looks at things, and he does not take things personally, whether other commentators and fighters agree with him or not.

    “Honestly, I’m never perfect. There’s a roster of, I don’t know, 400-600 fighters, and not everybody is going to agree with what I say either. It’s all perspective in there. And DC, he’s a gifted athlete. I think (Michael) Bisping does a lot of homework. I think he watches a lot of film. I think there are certain people that watch the film, and I count that because I do the film study. The reason I do the film study is it’s bigger than me,” Cruz said.

    “I really don’t call or text any of them, because they’re just doing their job. They’re seeing it how they see it, it’s their interpretation. It doesn’t make it fact, and I know they’re doing the best they can, honestly.”

    It certainly seems like Dominick Cruz is simply giving his honest assessment of how he thinks Daniel Cormier does as a commentator and is not coming from a place of a personal beef. That said, it will be interesting to see if Cormier gives his response to these comments while working commentary for UFC 269 .

    Watch the full presser with Dominick Cruz below: