Daniel Cormier argues this Paris Olympics gold medalist has better "blue chips" for MMA future than Henry Cejudo
Former Olympic wrestlers Daniel Cormier and Henry Cejudo have the inside track on the strength of a wrestling foundation and its advantages in establishing a dominant MMA career. While Cormier never won a medal in the Olympic Games, Cejudo is one of the most prominent faces to transition to MMA, having won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Having said that, Cormier believes Amit Elor, the gold medalist in the 68-kg bracket in the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics, is in the catbird seat for a brighter MMA future.
Speaking in a recent episode of the Good Guy/Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen, Cormier revealed details on why a transition in MMA may be on the horizon for Elor:
“Chael, you know what’s interesting about Amit Elor? Who manages her? Daniel Rubenstein... What excites me about that is, who does Daniel Rubenstein manage? He doesn’t manage wrestlers, he manages MMA fighters. So we might be looking at a future MMA fighter."
Cormier added:
"When you talk about blue chips, Henry Cejudo was a blue chip as an Olympic champ, but not like Amit Elor. Amit Elor is a Judo fighter, a jiu-jitsu fighter, she’s a world-champion wrestler, and she can do it all. Amit Elor, after she’s done with wrestling, because I want her to finish as many Olympic games as she can…when she crosses over to MMA, could you imagine not only the excitement but how dangerous she could be and the potential star she could be when you’re carrying an Olympic gold medal?"
Catch Cormier's comments below (40:0):
At 20, Elor became the youngest United States wrestler ever, to win an Olympic gold medal. The California native has also won eight world championships and is a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Daniel Cormier speaks out against ABC decision to legalize 12-to-6 elbows in MMA
Earlier this year, the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) voted to eradicate the 12-to-6 elbow as a foul in the unified rules of MMA. They also made modifications to the definition of a "downed fighter" and the changes will be in effect on November 1, 2024.
The 12-to-6 elbows have been heavily debated in MMA over the years. However, Daniel Cormier is not on board with the decision to legalize them. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier said:
"I don’t care as much about 12-to-6 elbows, but I think the moment we start opening those rules again, then it’s going to be more and more and more, and then ultimately we’ll get back to soccer kicks. Because you do know that now, hands down, starting in November, is not grounded anymore. ... Again, that’s one move back toward that, then there will be something else moving closer to that. That’s just my biggest worry.”
Check out Cormier's comments below (24:30):