Daniel Cormier praises Alexander Volkanovski's performance against Islam Makhachev
Daniel Cormier had a lot of praise for Alexander Volkanovski after his incredible performance against Islam Makhachev at UFC 284.
Cormier uploaded a video to his YouTube channel, where he analyzed the superfight for the lightweight championship. He mentioned that Volkanovski looked great against Makhachev and remained competitive throughout the fight even when fighting off his back.
He said:
"Alexander Volkanovski was the first person to make Islam Makhachev look human. Granted, he made him look human, but he still didn't win the fight. And I think because of the praise, the admiration that Alexander gets for his performance, I think it speaks to how special Makhachev is." [1:58 - 2:18]
'DC' added that the lightweight champion's team were expected it to be a tough fight as opposed to a one-sided mismatch like the betting lines indicated. He mentioned that it was a great main event and even made a bold prediction:
"All in all, great fight. This was a tremendous fight. And to be this early in the year, this one has potential because of who they are [Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev] to still be in the mix for Fight of the Year by the end of the year, which was amazing." [6:10 - 6:26]
Cormier believes that the judges made the correct decision and that Makhachev rightfully earned the unanimous decision win.
Check out the full video:
Daniel Cormier compliments Jack Della Maddalenna's improvements
Daniel Cormier was impressed with a number of fighters at UFC 284 and complimented Jack Della Maddalena on the improvements he has made thus far.
In the affromentioned video, 'DC' mentioned that Della Maddalena, who has been a surging UFC prospect, looked great in his fight. The Perth native defeated Randy Brown via rear-naked choke at 2:13 of the first round and earned his third straight Performance of the Night bonus.
He said:
"This kid [Jack Della Maddalena] has a ton of hype behind him and it's warranted. He look fantastic and he's looked like that since he started into the UFC." [9:43 - 9:51]
It will be interesting to see what the UFC has in store for Della Maddalena's next fight as he has proven that he's ready to step up in competition.