Daniel Cormier Urges Fighters to Stop Admitting Fear of Defeat After Chris Curtis Declines Alex Pereira Fight to Avoid Getting “Destroyed”

Daniel Cormier would have never admitted he was afraid of losing to any of his rivals back in the day, regardless of what was going on inside his mind. And he doesn’t understand how some fighters do so.

Earlier, light heavyweight fighter Chris Curtis had said he turned down a short-notice fight against Alex Pereira due to the fear of being “destroyed”. DC believes he should have kept those thoughts to himself, adding that fighters admitting fear is antithetical to the spirit of the sport.

“Him [Chris Curtis] saying that… As a fighter, you don’t tell that there’s a guy walking around that you don’t think you can beat and that you’re unwilling to get in there with him,” said DC.

During his fighting career, Cormier had trained with heavyweight champions like Cain Velasquez and fought with Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. And he understands the natural human instinct of not wanting to become cannon fodder to a superior fighter.

However, DC never backed away from fights and always gave his best inside the octagon. He expects fighters of this generation to do the same — channelize their fear and prepare, instead of making a public spectacle of their insecurities.

UFC middleweight fighter Bo Nickal seems to be trying to do exactly that. He has been portraying a fearless persona as he tries to navigate up the pecking order in his division. However, it is too soon to say how far this approach would take him, or if it is even the right path at this point in his career.

Nickal’s Chimaev ‘callout’ impresses DC

After a rather arduous win against Paul Craig at UFC 309, NCAA wrestling phenom Nickal was severely criticized for the slow manner in which his UFC career has progressed. With only 7 pro fights under his belt, and no UFC ranking to show for it, Nickal seems to have been left behind by his peers.

Still, he has been touted as an ideal opponent for title contender Khamzat Chimaev. And Nickal is showing interest in that match-up too. UFC veteran Chael Sonnen has also been pushing for the bout, despite the ranking disparity.

Since his literally jawbreaking performance against former world champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, Chimaev has been advertised as an unbeatable wrestling phenomenon.

KHAMZAT CHIMAEV SUBMITS ROBERT WHITTAKER TO STAY UNDEFEATED 😤 #UFC308 pic.twitter.com/gmT7UcPqKc

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 26, 2024

So, when Nickal claimed there is nobody at middleweight who could outwrestle him, Cormier took notice.

“That is about as strong a statement in regards to Khamzat Chimaev that I’ve seen Bo Nickal make. Love you Bo, but be specific. Honestly, I agree with Bo….There’s not a guy in the UFC at 185 pounds that could make it one round with Bo Nickal in a wrestling match,” said Cormier.

Please note that Cormier mentioned a “wrestling match” and not a full-fledged MMA fight.

—Today we discussed Bo Nickal and everything he is saying about Khamzat and a potential matchup. I like it but better be ready for what you’re asking for. Live right now at my YouTube channel https://t.co/cICeC5R93R pic.twitter.com/orMDhkezkK

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) January 9, 2025

Interestingly, unlike what DC thought, Nickal has taken Chimaev’s name while claiming that the middleweight contender would not be able to crush him.

“I think that he [Chimaev] is good, he’s got skills, but his biggest thing that’s going to crush him, especially in a fight against me is, dude, you’re going to get tired. You’re going to go like this [down], and I’m going to go like this [up] as the fight goes on,” said Nickal.

Bo’s confidence isn’t misplaced. He does have the talent to counter Chimaev’s pace and press in the initial minutes of the fight, and then drag him in for the long haul.

However, he has never fought a top MMA contender before. And the feeling is that he could be shooting too high too soon.