UFC Legend Asserts Dominance Isn’t Enough for PPV Sales, Cites Islam Makhachev and Demetrious Johnson as Examples

An UFC athlete has to be multi-faceted to sell fights according to a legend. Daniel Cormier is a former two-division world champion and knows a thing or two about selling PPVs. Cormier was good with his mic-skills and often used it as a way to attract more eyes to the fight. And now, after tasting the success himself, DC believes that having this ability of being able to sell fights is very important.

There are many UFC fighters who are extremely talented and dominant, but can not sell a fight. This affects them in the long run when it comes to matchmaking and their legacy.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Daniel Cormier recently used Islam Makhachev and Demetrious Johnson as examples to show why just dominance inside the octagon can only get you so far. He said,

“To this point, the dominance of Islam Makhachev had not made people buy into it just yet….Champions, like Demetrious Johnson not really resonate with fans and turn it into PPV buys.”

Daniel Cormier went on to say that Demetrious Johnson could not sell PPVs and make blockbuster fights, and that did not resonate well with the casual MMA fans. He then stated that if Islam Makhachev does not fight bigger names, the same thing could happen to him.

Analyzing his fights, Cormier said that although Makhachev is the lightweight king, he has failed to build the hype around his matches. However, DC opined that fighting Dustin Poirier was a smart move for Makhachev.

Speaking on mic-skills, Cormier next made a bold statement. He gave the example of Khabib Nurmagomedov and how Conor McGregor helped to build his legacy.

UFC legend Daniel Cormier says Khabib Nurmagomedov is nothing without Conor McGregor

Khabib Nurmagomedov was a dominant fighter. He has never lost a fight in the UFC. However, Daniel Cormier believes Conor McGregor was the driving force behind his fame.

Before the McGregor fight, ‘The Eagle’ was just another UFC champion. But once he beat the Irishman, his fame skyrocketed. Daniel Cormier spoke about it, saying,

“Khabib had the dominance, he was undefeated, he was the world champion…If Conor McGregor wasn’t that fight, and he didn’t have that big moment, I don’t know that he ever would have reached that star power.”

The former UFC champ champ further stated that Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement would also not have as much effect either. After the McGregor fight, he became the man to beat in the UFC.

Daniel Cormier: “Khabib made no mistakes. Even in dominance, he never messed up.” #UFC254 pic.twitter.com/Aob90Scfb6

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) October 25, 2020

Thus, fans generally wanted to see more of him. And after his back and forth with McGregor, Khabib captured the entire limelight. Their UFC 229 post-match brawl made headlines and hyped up the aura of Khabib Nurmagomedov as the man who could shut the trash talking of ‘The Notorious.’