"Joe held his foot to the fire a little bit" - Daniel Cormier praises Joe Rogan for asking Khamzat Chimaev "hard questions" during octagon interview
Daniel Cormier has praised Joe Rogan for asking Khamzat Chimaev about missing weight after the Chechen-born Swede's victory at UFC 279.
Chimaev was the focal point of the UFC 279 fight week after being involved in an altercation that led to the cancelation of the press conference. He then missed weight by 7.5 pounds, forcing the card to be changed.
178.5 for @KChimaev. He will have an additional hour to make the weight.
[ #UFC279 | Tomorrow | Live on ESPN+ PPV: ufc.ac/3CEMN9O ] https://t.co/0xTW3aTzwL
'Borz' ended the week by dominating and finishing his new opponent Kevin Holland in the first round. After the fight, Rogan continuously questioned Chimaev about missing weight. Once the event ended, Cormier posted a YouTube reaction video and had this to say:
"I wanna know a little bit more about the weight cut issue. In the octagon, he said that the official pulled the plug on him night before. He was closer than 7.5 pounds. I love that Joe Rogan asked him the hard questions. He tried to avoid it. I don't wanna talk about this. Joe goes, 'No, you have to talk about it'... I love that Joe held his foot to the fire a little bit."
Cormier's concerns about the weight miss are related to the widespread thought that Chimaev will one day be a champion. 'Borz' seemed inhuman during the start of his UFC run, but the UFC 279 fight week showed flaws outside the cage.
Watch Daniel Cormier's UFC 279 reaction video below:
Daniel Cormier disagrees with the judge's decision for Li Jingliang vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Another fighter affected by Chimaev's weight miss was Li Jingliang, who fought Daniel Rodriguez at 180 pounds instead of Tony Ferguson at 170 pounds. Jingliang lost a close split decision and Cormier believes he should have won.
During the same UFC 279 reaction video, the former two-division champion had this to say:
"I did not agree with the Daniel Rodriguez vs. Li Jingliang decision. I thought Li Jingliang won the fight, but if you heard on the broadcast, I said round two was close."
UFC 279's fight week was unpredictable from start to finish. Although the UFC got credit for keeping the event together, the six fighters at the top of the card deserve credit for accepting the short-notice matchups.
Watch Khamzat Chimaev's post-fight interview, which was mentioned by Daniel Cormier, below:
That is a scary, scary dude! 😳
A FIRED UP @KChimaev is in rare form after submitting Kevin Holland in the first! #UFC279 https://t.co/DzkopqgHZP