Amid the rekindling of his rivalry with Jon Jones this month, UFC Hall of Fame star Daniel Cormier has claimed the former can’t be considered the Michael Jordan of the combat sport.
Cormier, who twice faced off with Jones during their respective Octagon stints, went winless against the current heavyweight kingpin. In addition, attempting to squash his long-standing beef with the former two-weight champion last year, Cormier’s efforts appear to have also been fruitless.
During his trip to Asia, Jones claimed that if he were matched up with Olympic wrestler, Cormier, at the heavyweight limit — he would have inflicted a worse beating than he already did. “I feel like my speed has transferred over in a way that his hasn’t. And I think I beat him up pretty worse at heavyweight. I kick harder,” Jones bragged.
While those claims are more than outlandish to say the least, Cormier has gotten his own back at Jones this week. Questioned as to whom he considers on the level of former Chicago Bulls icon, Jordan — he picked ex-teammate, Khabib Nurmagomedov, over Jones.
“I mean, it’s got to be Khabib,” Cormier said on Good Guy/Bad Guy.
“He never lost, right? Think about this. Jordan made the finals. Jordan never lost in the finals. So, if we’re talking about that, then yes. If you take everything Jones ever did, obviously, he’s in that conversation. But it’s Khabib for me,” Cormier asserted with authority.
Snubbing Jones for Nurmagomedov, this is not the first time the Russian has been held in such high esteem by another UFC megastar.
The 29-0 former lightweight champion has remained a case of unfulfilled potential since his retirement from the sport in 2020. Despite this, Khabib is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever to ever compete in mixed martial arts.
Notably, having only lost two rounds in his professional MMA career is a testament to that legacy. Furthermore, even to this day, when he trains, he makes tough men like Belal Muhammad sweat from the intensity.
Belal heaps praise on Nurmagomedov
Training extensively with Team Khabib ahead of his championship coronation last year, Belal has formed a close bond with the Russian and his camp.
Impressed by the training he’s received from Khabib and the valuable experience he’s gained by training with his mentee Islam Makhachev, Belal has claimed the former is likely the Michael Jordan when it comes to mixed martial arts.
Noting his desire to pick the Russian’s brain when it comes to the sport and its details, he said, “I mean it just puts you on a different level right? Because those guys, they’re on another level. The way they train, the way they work, there is nothing special about it, there are no hidden secrets, it’s just hard hard work.
Belal noted that the reason the fighters from the Dagestani camp were so mentally tough was because their training was simply tougher than most actual fights.
“They push you so hard. I consider him (Khabib) the ‘GOAT’ of MMA. To be able to talk to the Michael Jordan of your sport anytime,” Belal added, claiming to have been fortunate to be able to do so.
