UFC legend Daniel Cormier doesn't think a prime Tony Ferguson could stop Charles Oliveira
UFC legend Daniel Cormier has suggested that he doesn’t think a prime Tony Ferguson could stop Charles Oliveira.
Daniel Cormier believes that Charles Oliveira is simply that good. Even when Tony Ferguson was on his 12-fight winning streak and beating every fighter he faced, 'El Cucuy' would have run into a lot of problems in a fight against Oliveira.
Tony Ferguson lost a one-sided decision to Charles Oliveira at UFC 256
For several years, Tony Ferguson has been regarded as one of the best MMA fighters in the world and arguably the most dangerous competitor in the lightweight division.
El Cucuy was on a 12-fight winning streak as he entered his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 in May 2020. The fight against Gaethje marked the end of Tony Ferguson’s winning streak, as he lost the fight via fifth-round TKO.
Following this, Ferguson went on to face fellow lightweight contender Charles Oliveira at UFC 256 on December 12th. The fight ended up being a dominant showing for Oliveira, who won via unanimous decision.
Daniel Cormier believes that Tony Ferguson, even in his prime, would have lost to Charles Oliveira
On an edition of DC & Helwani, former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier indicated that Charles Oliveira is a bad stylistic matchup for Tony Ferguson. Daniel Cormier stated:
“What we have seen of Tony Ferguson was that he has been so competitive for so long, but the reality was there were a lot of changes with Tony Ferguson, right? The corner looked different, just the actions; a lot of things looked different about Tony Ferguson last week. And in hindsight, it’s easy to say, ‘he didn’t seem like the same guy’, and all this other stuff.”
“We had a very interesting fighter call with him on Thursday. He freaked out and he was yelling at me. We argued a little bit…Yeah, we had some disagreements in terms of coaching philosophy, but ultimately, Tony and I were amicable as we parted ways because he’s a great guy.” Daniel Cormier added.
“But, the story is Charles Oliveira. And when you look at Charles Oliveira and you think about how, when Khabib (Nurmagomedov) said he was done, we talked about everybody else, and he (Oliveira) was just an afterthought. He’s no afterthought anymore. And the reality is he should be in there. He should be in a title fight because I believe the guy is that good. And he dominated Tony Ferguson, and it was not competitive.”
“And can I say something? Even when Tony was winning all those fights, the 12-fight win streak, I feel if he had run into Charles Oliveira with that skill-set, Charles would’ve beat him back then. I don’t know if it’s about Tony being worse or Tony declining. I think Charles Oliveira is just that good. And I think he’s finally found the right weight class, and the dude has complete skills, and it’s madness.” Daniel Cormier continued.
“But then like when I think about last week’s show, right? We talked about a crossroads for Tony Ferguson, right? And I saw you say, ‘why would they say crossroads?’ Dude, it was a crossroads fight. And now, look at where his career seems to be heading, right?” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Furthermore, Daniel Cormier and podcast co-host Ariel Helwani emphasized that Tony Ferguson has taken a lot of damage in many of his fights, even the ones that he won during his impressive 12-fight winning streak.
Moreover, Cormier and Helwani noted that Tony Ferguson’s toughness has been his biggest asset over the years.
Cormier and Helwani praised Ferguson for his toughness and reiterated that it was that very toughness that helped him go the distance in his one-sided loss to Charles Oliveira.
What are your views on Daniel Cormier’s statements regarding Tony Ferguson and Charles Oliveira? Sound off in the comments.