Despite the top tier fighters that he has beaten or the accomplishments in his career, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier doesn’t understand the fact that fight fans can doubt him. He has only lost to one man twice in his pro-MMA career and that was to former champion Jon Jones.
“DC” will attempt to prove people wrong once again when he steps into the Octagon to take on top contender Volkan Oezdemir in the co-main event of UFC 220.
“Every time I’ve stepped in the octagon I feel like I need to make a statement,” Cormier said on UFC 220 conference call (transcript courtesy of MMA Junkie). “There’s a certain thing to me, that for some reason people see these guys as true threats to me and that they can just beat me. It’s always fun to go out and prove people wrong. Both fights against Anthony Johnson I went in as the underdog, because he knocked some guys out. That shouldn’t warrant a person being favored to win a fight because they can knock somebody out.
“You’ve got to look at a guy’s entire body of work,” he continued. “When I look at guys like Anthony Johnson and Volkan Oezdemir, for people to think they’re just going to beat me, to me it’s just crazy. It’s just crazy. I really do feel pressure, because I want pressure, but I like making people say, ‘Well, I guess he wasn’t the guy that was going to knock ‘DC’ out.’ That’s fine to me, to kind of just stick it to people.”
The fact is that people have bought into Oezdemir’s highlight reel of nasty finishes that has gotten him to this point. However, Cormier doesn’t see any scenario in which he’s added to it.
“I think people fall in love with power punchers,” Cormier said. “I believe it’s just because they’re exciting. They finish fights in no time. The fight gets going and all of a sudden, it’s over. You got guys like ‘Rumble,’ who was knocking everyone out. You got guys like Volkan, and they knock everybody out, so people fall in love with them. But it’s not just about punching hard. This game is about much more.
“It’s about what you have mentally, all around mixed martial arts game, experience. I always say, whether I’m at the commentary booth or on the post-game or just on these calls, there are levels to this game. When a person isn’t on the level, they get exposed very quickly. I think that Volkan’s a fantastic fight. I believe he believes in himself and in his power, but to beat me, just being a powerful guy, ain’t going to be enough.”
UFC 220 is set to take place on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.
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