"You don't give the best in the world a head start" - Daniel Cormier on "outdated, unrealistic" idea that challengers need to dominate the champion to win title
In the wake of Robert Whittaker's unsuccessful outing against Israel Adesanya, Daniel Cormier revisited the conversation regarding challengers having to outperform the champion to lay claim to the title.
While in conversation with Ryan Clark and Anthony Smith on the latest edition of the DC & RC show, Cormier argued that expecting the challenger to outperform a champion decisively instead of eking out a victory is an extremely outdated notion.
Daniel Cormier maintained that the best fighter in the world in a particular weight class needed no extra help to assert their dominance over a challenger.
"If a guy's the champion in Israel Adesanya, a Jon Jones, he's the best in the world, right? Why does he need a head start? You don't give the best in the world a head start. That's essentially what that's saying... That's not fair. It's one of the most outdated, unrealistic- it's one of the most unrealistic points in all the sports. I hate it, actually," said Cormier.
Check out Daniel Cormier's recent appearance on the DC & RC show below:
This comes shortly after Robert Whittaker's UFC 271 fight against Israel Adesanya at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Adesanya was declared the victor by way of unanimous decision after five rounds of consistent back and forth.
However, 'The Reaper' declared that he felt he had done enough to walk away with the win and the UFC middleweight title.
Daniel Cormier believes Jared Cannonier won't falter against Israel Adesanya
In the aftermath of his second-round TKO win against Derek Brunson, Jared Cannonier threw his name into title contention by calling upon Dana White to give him a shot at divisional gold.
Watch Jared Cannonier's post-fight interview below:
Major statements made for the ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐จ ๐
[ @KillaGorillaMMA | #UFC271 ] https://t.co/N0sz2xR6Aw
In the same edition of the DC & RC show, Daniel Cormier offered fans some insight into Cannonier's prospects in a fight against Israel Adesanya. 'DC' declared that 'The Killa Gorilla's' experience against the consensus middleweight GOAT, Anderson Silva, will aid him in his pursuit of the 185-lbs strap.
The former double champ also opined that Cannonier will take a measured approach against 'The Last Stylebender', avoiding any unnecessary mistakes.
"I believe that Jared Cannonier, as in tune with himself as he is today, is not going to make any mistakes against [Israel Adesanya] and I think it's going to be a fantastic fight and I'm happy [for him]," said Cormier.