Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
Daniel Cormier is expecting a huge comeback from the UFC once the global pandemic lockdown is over.
The sporting world was forcibly put to a halt by the COVID-19 pandemic. And while it remained adamant to carry on with fight cards at first, the UFC eventually followed suit and cancelled three events from mid-March through early April.
The postponement of events also means the loss of revenue. And knowing how the UFC’s business runs, former double-champion Daniel Cormier expects the company to bounce back big.
“There’s nothing right now,” Cormier told Michael Bisping in a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast (transcript by MMA Fighting). “We’re essentially in a holding pattern. The UFC is on pause. Not even the UFC, the whole world is on pause right now. All sports, everything that entertains. So it’s just a wait and see.”
“But you know what you can look forward to as an athlete is knowing that when the UFC returns, you’re going to be a part of some massive fight cards,” he continued. “Because all these fights have to happen, and as long as the UFC is on pause, the UFC is not making any money.
“So when the UFC comes back, they have to make all that money that’s supposed to be made over the course of the year, so they’re going to put on massive fight cards every single week until the end of the year and I cannot wait to be a part of it.”
With the lengthy layoff, Cormier is foreseeing super fights to take place, one after the other.
“Superfight after superfight after superfight, super fight card after super fight card, super card, super card,” he said. “It’s gonna be like the UFC back in the day when there was one every couple of months and you got massive cards every time.”
As for UFC 249, Cormier also went on to confirm that the card is still on as scheduled unless Dana White says otherwise. It is currently set to take place on April 18th at a still unspecified location.