Daniel Cormier likes 'championship-level' fight between Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker next
11/02/2023 02:00 PM
Kamaru Usman has a number of options for the next chapter of his career and Daniel Cormier thinks he's found just the one to get the former UFC champion back on track.
On ESPN's DC & RC show, Cormier was asked what he thought of a potential matchup between Usman and former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. "The Reaper" recently mentioned he'd like to see Usman stick around for another fight in the division after Usman lost a close majority decision to Khamzat Chimaev in a 185-pound bout at UFC 294.
Usman had a highly successful welterweight title reign from 2019-2022 and Cormier wants to see him continue to be featured in big fights.
"I tap in," Cormier answered on his show's "Tap In or Tap Out!" segment. "I tap all the way in to this fight. I think it's a big fight and I think both of these guys deserve to walk to the octagon in massive fights every single time. So if they're not fighting for the championship, they should be fighting championship-level fights. So I'm all in on Kamaru Usman vs. Robert Whittaker."
Both stars should be eager to get back on the winning track. Usman has lost three straight now following the decision loss to Chimaev and a pair of title fight losses to rival Leon Edwards. Whittaker, who won The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes as a welterweight before finding his form at middleweight, has lost two of his past three, including a one-sided drubbing at the hands of top contender Dricus Du Plessis.
Cormier's co-host, former NFL standout Ryan Clark, agreed that Usman vs. Whittaker makes a lot of sense.
"I tap in on this fight because I believe it gives Kamaru Usman an opportunity to have a training camp knowing he'll be fighting at 185, and for Robert Whittaker, it doesn't make him fight a retread, someone he's fought already or have to go down in the rankings to fight a fighter that doesn't have the cachet or résumé that deserves a trip in the octagon with Robert Whittaker," Clark said. "Kamaru Usman, you say, 'I'm here. I'm a player at 185 for the twilight of my career.'"
