Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier proposes the idea of an interim championship between Arnold Allen and Josh Emmett
The UFC featherweight division has come to a dormant stage despite some really fresh and exciting talents emerging from the ranks. The 145-pound UFC champion is chasing his hot pursuit for the elite double-champ status, something that has left the division confused and stagnant.
To be fair to Alexander Volkanovski, the champion has bulldozered through every competition at the weight class and seeks new challenges. In that case, a former double champion himself, Daniel Cormier has suggested an alternative measure.
All indications point to Volkanovski stepping up to lightweight for his upcoming fight and taking on Islam Makhachev, who was recently named champion after submitting Charles Oliveira in the second round at UFC 280. The current featherweight champion and Makhachev have indicated an interest in fighting in Australia, but nothing is official at this time.
Cormier wants to keep the featherweight division as busy as possible, so he suggests an interim championship bout between Arnold Allen and Josh Emmett while Volkanovski spends the following few months getting ready for Makhachev. The UFC Hall of Famer explains why the two contenders ought to go all-out in Volkanovski’s absence on the most recent episode of DC & RC:
“Arnold Allen deserves to fight for some portion of the championship. I believe his humility in that moment [when he beat Calvin Kattar] is what actually turned me about. And honestly, Josh Emmett does deserve an interim title fight also. I’m like, ‘You know what, man? Those guys should not have to wait for the champion as he tries to chase down greatness.’”
” I don’t like when a guy has to win double digit fights in the UFC in order to earn a championship opportunity. It seems like way to long, and I would like to see Allen fighting for some portion of the championship against Josh Emmett, preferably in Australia, right underneath Volkanovski fighting against Islam Makhachev.”
Daniel Cormier, a former two-division UFC champion, reacted to the boxing encounter between Jake Paul and Anderson Silva and shared his observations.
Paul knocked down Silva in the final round to win the bout by unanimous decision. It was the biggest moment of the fight. Paul has substantially improved his skills, in Cormier’s opinion, from his previous performance in December 2021.
“You know what I think we learned in that fight about Jake Paul was that he can fight. If he would have fought Anderson last year, Anderson would have beaten him if Anderson fought the way that he did. But the kid’s improving. The one that beat Woodley would have lost to that Anderson Silva Saturday night.”
“I thought that Jake Paul showed a lot of heart. I thought Anderson Silva fought valiantly,”
“You know what sucked? I felt like Anderson did what he is known to do, and it’s a bit of his M.O. If he were more active, he would have won, but he just wasn’t. There were a lot of spots in the fight where lack of activity cost him. He gave away some rounds to Jake Paul early because he just didn’t do enough. When he put his foot on the gas you saw that he was the better fighter, Anderson Silva. But he just did not push the gas enough to win the fight, and then he got dropped in the last round.”
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