The team of analysts for the UFC on Fox Sports 1 and Fox broadcasts has been providing the most in-depth coverage that mixed martial arts has seen in its 20 years of existence.
With a collection of seasoned fight veterans and a handful of well-versed hosts at the helm, the people who work the pre– and post-fight shows for the UFC have consistently raised the bar.
The broadcast table for UFC on Fox Sports 1 has seen a revolving cast of characters over the past year but few have delivered on the level of Daniel Cormier. The two-time Olympic wrestler turned mixed martial artist has been on point every time he’s been tapped for analyst duties, and because of his valuable insight and solid on-screen presence, “D.C.” has been a regular on the pre– and post-fight scene.
In fact, the American Kickboxing Academy staple has done such an admirable job as an analyst he was recently announced as the new co-host of UFC Tonight, which airs on FS1 on Wednesdays. Furthermore, he’s managed to do all of this while tearing his way up the light heavyweight divisional ladder to become the No. 1 contender to Jon Jones’ divisional crown. That’s impressive by any measurable standard but there doesn’t appear to be many things in the MMA realm Cormier can’t do.
The Louisiana native took time out of his busy schedule to mix it up once again for this column and we talked his new position and the upcoming card for UFC 179.
Let’s get things started by talking about this new gig alongside Kenny Florian as the co-host of UFC Tonight. Congrats Mr. Cormier.
Thanks man. It’s a big deal and I love it.
You’ve done a great job behind the desk. You’re undefeated inside the cage. I’m starting to wonder if you ever fail at anything.
[Laughs] That’s not true. I’ve done it time and time again, but I’m lucky, man. I’m a very, very lucky guy.
To be clear, what I meant to say is that it is obvious you don’t like to fail. Is that what is driving you toward the light heavyweight championship?
Oh I hate losing. I hate it more than most people could ever imagine. But with everything that is going on, nothing means more to me than winning that championship belt. In due time. In due time I’m going to get that title.
That’s a perfect segue to the business we are here to talk about. There is a featherweight title on the line this weekend when longtime champion Jose Aldo rematches Chad Mendes at UFC 179. There are a few things I want to ask you and let’s start with Mendes‘ mentality.
The first time he went down there two years ago he ended up on a highlight reel as Aldo scored a crazy knockout in the closing seconds of the opening round. How do you believe he handles going back to Brazil to fight Aldo after he was finished definitively in their first meeting?
If I’m Chad Mendes I went back and said, “What was the gap between me and Jose Aldo?” How big of a gap is there between me and the champ because I know there is a gap between me and everyone else in the 145-pound division. He’s shown that. He’s shown that the rest of these guys can’t really go with him. He’s finished four of his last five fights with a few of them being top-10 guys. How big of a gap was there in the first fight?
Mendes has to replay that first fight and know that when he was taking him down—putting himself in his best position—Aldo grabbed the cage. By grabbing the cage it started a sequence that ended the fight. Honestly, it’s fascinating how that played out. Chad had his back, lifted him up to slam him to the ground, Jose grabs the fence and it starts a sequence where the fight is over five seconds later. That’s crazy, man. You just don’t see that too often.
Is that a compliment on Jose Aldo’s awareness where he knew the opportunity was coming? Or, does that reflect negatively on Mendes because he hesitated for a second and ended up getting popped? Such a little thing caused a crazy finish. As for the gap, if I’m Mendes I look at the entire round. He wasn’t getting outclassed by Aldo in that round and that’s what he needs to build off of. He was actually doing okay and had he secured that takedown, who is to say the judges don’t give him round one? That’s what I build off of. I say to myself it was 1-0 going into round two had there not been an unfortunate sequence that ended the fight.
Another interesting aspect of this fight is the amount of smack talk Aldo and Mendes have launched at one another during the lead up to this fight. While the champion has said his fair share, he’s also mentioned in multiple interviews that fighting is always business never personal. I recently interviewed Mendes and he said it is personal because Aldo said some awful things about him and he plans to make him pay for those words. How important does their respective abilities to balance play into this fight?
When you go into a fight in a competitive situation emotions can’t drive you. If emotion carries one of these guys into the fight, whoever that is will lose. It takes too much energy to carry emotions and anger. That’s why street fights never last long. You watch a street fight and it only goes for 15 seconds because the guys are so mad. They are so mad they can’t control themselves. They can’t control their emotions or their breathing and you can’t allow those things to dictate you.
I believe this fight is personal to Mendes, but when that door closes he will compete in a manner a true sportsman should. He’ll compete in the name of sport and honor. If he doesn’t do that and lets emotion run him, he’ll be exhausted by the end of the first round. Then he will be in trouble.
Another big fight on the card for UFC 179 takes place in the light heavyweight division between Glover Teixeira and Phil Davis. Both are coming off losses and how crucial is this fight for both of these guys?
It’s definitely a big fight for both of them, but I think it may be a bigger fight for Phil Davis. If he can win impressively, then he will insert himself back into the title picture where Teixeira just fought for the title and has some work to do. One great performance over a guy who was just the No. 1 contender puts Phil right back where he wants to be.
While this is a big fight for Davis, do you think any of that scope has to do with his current standing in the division? He was a highly touted prospect who rose through the ranks, but he’s faced a few setbacks over the past two years that have served to take a chunk of his momentum away. Do you believe there is pressure on Davis to become the championship contender many believed he would be?
I don’t think there is any pressure in that sense for Phil. The most pressure you should feel should come from within yourself. It shouldn’t come from anything people say or believe; it should come from within yourself. If Phil has inside pressure, he will be fine, but if he starts to take on outside pressure, it won’t be a good thing because that type of pressure will smash you. That’s impossible to do in this sport. I don’t believe he has to live up to anyone’s expectation but his own. So, to answer your question I don’t think there is any added pressure.
As you very well know, winning streaks at the highest level of MMA are difficult to come by and Neil Magny is having an incredible year. The Ultimate Fighter alum has won all four of his showings thus far in 2014, and he’ll be going for history at UFC 179. If he defeats William Macario on Saturday, he’ll make history as the first fighter to win five bouts in a year, yet, his streak has pretty much run under the radar up to this point. What are your thoughts on the state of Magny‘s current run?
He has been relatively quiet and it’s easy to overlook a guy like that because he’s fought on some prelims and fought guys who people aren’t very familiar with. He is also really unassuming in the way he approaches his fights and I think he’s one of those guys who could maybe benefit from thumping his chest just a little bit and say, “Hey look at me. I’ve won four fights in a row. Pay attention. I’m over here working my tail off and I’ve fought five times this year. Look at me because I’m doing good.” He could benefit from thumping his chest just a bit.
Wrapping things up let’s talk about two fights that could turn out to be action-packed. First up we have Andre Fili vs. Felipe Arantes and then let’s discuss Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Beneil Dariush. What are your thoughts on these two scraps?
I think the Fili vs. Arantes fight is going to be sick. I’ve seen these guys fight multiple times and I think it is going to be good. Especially for Fili. This is a kid who comes of Team Alpha Male with Urijah Faber and he looked so great when he first came to the UFC he looked special. That said, he kind of ran into a buzz saw in Max Holloway in his second fight and lost. When you get young guys who are looking to rebuild themselves, and their ego is kind of driving them to put on a show, nothing but good fights can come out of that scenario.
Dariush and Ferreira is going to be a good fight. I think Beneil will be alright if he can get the fight to the ground. I think he’s a little better when he gets things on the ground and can be a bit more opportunistic. That’s going to be a good fight.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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