Khabib Nurmagamedov vs Conor McGregor Builds Momentum as Daniel Cormier Gives His Thoughts on This Exciting Potential Match-Up…
Daniel Cormier is the two-time UFC light-heavyweight champion and a former Strikeforce heavyweight champion. Basically, his opinion is actually worth something when it comes to MMA because he is been through the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
He’s also a training partner of Khabib Nurmagamedov. The Dagestani fighter recently became the UFC lightweight champion after beating Al Iaquinta at UFC 223. ‘The Eagle’ is one of the most frightening fighters in the world right now. He has an incredible unbeaten record of 25-0, with 10 wins coming in the UFC.
Cormier has opened up on why he thinks Nurmagamedov will destroy Conor McGregor in a potential fight. Ok, it’s fair to think he might be a little biased, but if ‘DC’ is to be believed, we haven’t even seen the best of Nurmagamedov yet. That’s a frightening thought.
Unbeatable
According to Cormier, Khabib is never going to be beaten in the UFC. He’s just too good for everyone around him. DC, a former Olympian, is one of the best wrestlers in the business, yet the Russian still manages to compete with him on the maps. ‘DC’ told MMA Fighting:
“He’s not going to lose man. They won’t know how to deal with him. He’s going to be the only guy that goes through this whole thing without losing. Because I’m not sure he’s going to be here that long. But while he’s here, nobody is going to beat him.”
Those are high words of praise indeed. Nurmagamedov has never looked in trouble in any of his fights, excluding a single shot landed by Michael Johnson. He definitely looks indestructible right now. Will motivation be his worst enemy?
‘Smashed’
You might not be surprised, but Cormier doesn’t expect that McGregor would even be competitive in a potential fight with Nurmagamedov. Some analysts believe that McGregor, with his counter-punching, southpaw style, could connect with Nurmagamedov as he closes the distance for the takedown. Not according to ‘DC’.
“He’ll fight Conor McGregor,” Cormier said. “It’s going to happen. I think because of the finances, it will be the most viable fight for Conor. He created more interest in that fight with that crazy action that he did. He’s going to get taken down and smashed.”
Cormier has a point. McGregor has backed himself into a corner he may not want to be in. Khabib has destroyed every striker that’s been put in front of him. Iaquinta got high praise after their last fight because he managed to survive all five rounds.
Question Marks
McGregor’s wrestling capabilities also came under scrutiny. Cormier does not rate the Irishman’s ground game against an elite grappler. This is no surprise, as all of his losses have come via submission.
“When I watch Conor fight Chad Mendes, Chad Mendes is a great wrestler but he’s small,” Cormier said. “He beat him up for two rounds. He beat Conor for two rounds until Conor got up. He had done that for two straight rounds on 10 days notice.”
In all fairness, Cormier is right. Nurmagamedov definitely has the advantage on the ground. However, what makes this fight interesting as a contest, outside of all the chaos and dolly throwing, is that it is essentially a pure match-up between striker and wrestler.
