Islam Makhachev hilariously predicts outcome of potential clash against teammate Daniel Cormier
Prior to his dominant win at UFC 280, Islam Makhachev put forth a hilarious prediction regarding a hypothetical fight between himself and Daniel Cormier. For the past several years, Makhachev has trained alongside MMA legends such as Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov at the AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) gym in San Jose, California.
Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel 'DC' Cormier retired from MMA in August 2020. 'DC' has since been working as a UFC commentator. The California native was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame's 'Modern Wing' earlier this year alongside Nurmagomedov.
@dc_mma
Champions.
Legends.
Brothers.
UFC Hall of Famers.
@TeamKhabib 🏆 @dc_mma
#UFCHOF (📸 @UFCEurope) https://t.co/TPrNIPIzGy
While Daniel Cormier's hailed by many as one of the greatest MMA fighters ever, he's self-admittedly not been training as hard as he used to in the past. The former Olympian has been quite vocal about having gained a few pounds since retiring. Speaking of which, Islam Makhachev has now jestingly jibed at 'DC's' weight and suggested that he'd beat him in a potential fight.
In an interview with TMZ Sports before UFC 280, Islam Makhachev addressed his fight with Charles Oliveira. He also discussed possibly facing the backup fighter, the UFC's No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound athlete Alexander Volkanovski, if Oliveira were to withdraw from their fight. Makhachev stated:
"Doesn't matter, man. Doesn't matter who is gonna be there. I just want to fight for the title. Doesn't matter if it's gonna be Charles Oliveira, [Alexander] Volkanovski, or 'DC' [Daniel Cormier] is gonna be there; doesn't matter who. I need this title."
Furthermore, in response to the interviewer lightheartedly indicating that 'DC' is now a "super-heavyweight," Makhachev said:
"It's okay. This guy [Cormier] is so fat now. I know he's in bad shape. I'm gonna smash him there."
Watch Makhachev discuss the topic at 2:57 in the video below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov on why an Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski super-fight makes sense
Islam Makhachev beat Charles Oliveira via second-round submission at UFC 280 to capture the lightweight title. During the post-fight octagon interview featuring Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, the latter proposed a fight between Makhachev and UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski next. Volkanovski, for his part, immediately agreed to fight Makhachev.
Khabib Nurmagomedov asserted that for the past couple of years, he's relentlessly claimed that Islam Makhachev is the best fighter not only at lightweight but in the pound-for-pound realm too. Moreover, Nurmagomedov called for the super-fight between Makhachev and Volkanovski to have the UFC lightweight title and the UFC's No. 1 pound-for-pound ranking at stake. 'The Eagle' said:
"Charles Oliveira is No. 2 pound-for-pound, right? He finished Charles. Now it's our plan [to] fly all the way to Australia and fight in pound-for-pound king's backyard. Volkanovski, let's do it!"
Watch Nurmagomedov's assessment below:
#UFC280Who's next? @MakhachevMMA wants @AlexVolkanovski in Perth 👀 #UFC280 https://t.co/xE3YMd7Fmr