"He would have beat everybody, Jon Jones included” - Daniel Cormier names Russian wrestler he is glad he didn’t fight in MMA
Daniel Cormier is one of the most accomplished wrestlers to have competed in MMA.
A list of his accolades includes six U.S. national wrestling titles in a row, a fourth place at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2007.
During his recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Cormier and Rogan discussed the dominance of Russian wrestlers in MMA since they surged into the sport in the late 2000s.
Both Rogan and 'DC' agreed that having a wrestling background is the best platform for a successful MMA career. Daniel Cormier also mentioned the Russian wrestler he was glad never transitioned to MMA, the man who beat him in the 2004 Olympic semi-finals, Khadzhimurat Gatsalov.
'DC' said this:
"There was one guy who beat me in the Olympic semi-final, his name was Khadzhimurat Gatsalov. We're lucky that son of a b**ch didn't fight, 'cause he would have beat everybody, Jon Jones included. Every one of them would have gotten their a** whooped by that dude. He was good bro... He wrestled from my Olympic cycle all the way to Kyle Snyder, who won the 2020 Olympic Games. [Gatsalov] beat him. This dude was so fast, so good. I brought him in to train with me for Jon Jones."
Catch Daniel Cormier's comments below (1:07:30):
Watch Daniel Cormier's match with Khadzhimurat Gatsalov from the 2004 Olympics below:
Daniel Cormier describes what makes Jon Jones so difficult to fight
Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones shared one of the most legendary rivalries in UFC history. The pair faced off on two occasions, both times for the light heavyweight title.
Jones defeated Cormier in their first and second bout, but the result of their rematch was overturned to a no-contest after 'Bones' failed a drug test.
Jon Jones is widely regarded as the best MMA fighter of all time, and during Cormier's recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, he broke down what made 'Bones' so difficult to fight. 'DC' said this:
"The guy just understands fighting, and it makes him hard to deal with. When you get in a clinch with this dude, he's so tall that it's almost like you're holding him up if you're the shorter fighter... And that is what fatigues you, because when you're clinching, I'm trying to break your posture. He doesn't do that, he pushes you against the octagon and leans. So now you're carrying 220 [pounds] with your weight up against the octagon. Then he's changing levels, he's spinning trying to elbow you. The dude just understands fighting." [21:10-21:54 in the aforementioned podcast]