Daniel Cormier believes he would dominate the current light heavyweight division due to the lack of wrestlers, and he would most want to fight current champion Alex Pereira.
Daniel Cormier reckons he’d dominate the light heavyweight division if he were in his prime today.
The former two-division UFC champ, now a color commentator, shared his thoughts during a Q&A at Eddie Alvarez’s Underground Kings gym. When asked who he’d want to fight most, his answer was clear: current champ Alex Pereira.
“If I was in my prime at light heavyweight right now? There’s no wrestlers, bro,” Cormier remarked. “Seriously, I’d be feasting on everybody. No wrestlers.”
He added, “I’d probably go for Pereira because he’s the biggest star. You want to fight the biggest star, make the most money, but again, no wrestlers.”
Cormier had a stellar run at light heavyweight, capturing the world title and beating everyone except Jon Jones. As the 205-pound champ, he moved up to challenge Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title at UFC 226 in July 2018 and won by knockout.
Cormier never went back to light heavyweight, defended the heavyweight title against Derrick Lewis at UFC 230, then faced Miocic twice more before retiring.
Despite the challenging weight cut to 205, Cormier believes “prime DC” would excel in today’s division.
“Back when I was fighting, the top five included me, Jones, Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, Rashad Evans—all wrestlers,” he explained. “Now? No wrestlers. So yeah, light heavyweight, not heavyweight.”