While Daniel Cormier has faced criticism many times, it is unlikely that anyone has accused the former UFC heavyweight champion of being a liar. Well, Luke Rockhold has done just that, calling DC the “biggest liar” while vehemently denying that he had submitted to Islam Makhachev in training.
The submission debate raged on the Jaxxon podcast, where co-host Rampage Jackson asked Rockhold point-blank whether he had tapped out to Islam. The former UFC middleweight champion denied it, deflecting it to DC, saying his former teammate had concocted the rumor. When Rockhold was asked to call Cormier and clear things up, he doubled down.
“He has never submitted me (Islam). I love the guy he is dangerous he’s hard as hell, Daniel Cormier is the biggest liar. How do you think he makes good TV? Cause he just lies his way through TV,” insisted Rockhold.
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The drama didn’t stop there. When Jackson and others questioned Rockhold’s claim further, the former middleweight king made it clear that he wasn’t going to let the submission rumor slide without a fight.
That said, Rockhold respects Makhachev’s abilities. He quickly added that the lightweight champion will be too much for Arman Tsarukyan to handle come fight night at UFC 311.
Makhachev aims to silence doubters
The lightweight champion, set to defend his belt for the fourth time on January 18, is on a mission to assert his superiority over Tsarukyan. This rematch has been five years in the making.
Their first fight, in 2019 when the two were relatively new in the promotion, was a barnburner that earned Fight of the Night honors. Tsarukyan matched Islam on the ground, and even landed a few takedowns of his own. While it still ended up being a unanimous decision win for Islam, the bout is still widely considered as the toughest the champ has ever had.
This time, Makhachev isn’t looking for a decision victory. He wants a finish.
Makhachev has also admitted he might have underestimated Tsarukyan the first time. He’s confident this rematch won’t bring any surprises. And after watching Charles Oliveira nearly submit Tsarukyan multiple times, he believes he can do the same.
Islam says that Charles Oliveira almost finished Arman 3 times, thinks that he will be able to finish Arman at UFC 311.
@espnmma pic.twitter.com/8WxpNmNGa2— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) December 17, 2024
It’s easier said than done though. Tsarukyan has greatly improved since 2019. And this time around, he’s had a full camp to prepare, unlike earlier, when he had gone into the octagon on short notice.
