Legendary former champion Daniel Cormier once again caught the attention of the MMA public after he publicly praised Tom Aspinall, and along the way sent a message that seemed to many to be a criticism of the rest of the UFC heavyweight division.
Cormier, in an informal conversation that made it to social media, pointed out that he believes Aspinall is currently above most of his rivals, emphasizing how rare opportunities for success in this division are.
“These heavyweight fights … it can change your life. You have to work hard because chances like this don’t come around often,” Cormier said, with comments that some interpreted as disrespectful to other fighters.
The clip soon went viral, and reporters asked Aspinall for his opinion at a press conference ahead of his fight against Cyril Gane at UFC 321.
The British fighter, who will defend the belt of the interim champion on Saturday, remained calm:
“Listen, the heavyweight division is the most dangerous and unpredictable in the whole sport. I think I’m the best, but there’s always the possibility of losing. I still have a lot to prove,” said Aspinall.
And indeed, his performance in the UFC to date bears this out – in nine appearances, Aspinall has finished an opponent in the first round seven times, while only Andrei Arlovski has lasted to the second. His only loss came against Curtis Blaydes due to a knee injury, but he got his revenge last July with a knockout in just 60 seconds.
Later, Aspinall himself commented on the viral clip on YouTube, calming the situation:
“Relax guys. DC was just giving me support before the fight, nothing more.”
(Vijesti.ba)
