Daniel Cormier’s usually patient demeanor changed hearing Ben ‘Funky’ Askren’s take that modern MMA fighters are “soft”. The tipping point was when Askren criticized the frequency of pullouts in MMA due to “minor injuries”, and called the current lot of fighters fragile than football players.
During his weekly appearance on Cormier’s YouTube channel, ‘Funky’ said,
“Are fighters getting soft? These dudes gotta show up 20 weeks a year (football players). These fighters gotta show up three times.”
Cormier quickly pointed out the unfairness of comparing two vastly different sports. He defended the fighters’ decisions to prioritize their health and safety.
“But Ben, that is not fair,” said the former UFC champion. “Fighters don’t show up three times. Think about this, if you do three fights, three fights only, you train for 36 weeks a year to prepare. That is more than half the year. They’re doing 20 weeks [football players]. 24-25 weeks total. I can’t believe you.”
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Cormier added that if football players face a loss, they have another game next week to try and turn it around. However, for MMA fighters, a loss means waiting two or three months before they can get back into the octagon to make amends.
The nature of combat sports poses a direct risk to the safety of the fighters each time they enter the arena. So frequent fights are out of the question. DC was right in pointing out that Askren’s lopsided opinion was bizarre and unfair.
However, another take of Ben, on a major change in this newer generation of fighters, is spot on.
Askren points out UFC’s McGregor problem
Askren believes McGregor’s groundbreaking success as a two-division champion shifted the priorities of fighters. More champions are now chasing belts across weight classes, instead of solidifying their reign in one division.
Back in his hay day, McGregor made history by first defeating featherweight champ Jose Aldo and then following it up with a win over Eddie Alvarez to take the lightweight belt. The wins made him UFC’s first simultaneous two-division champion. However, McGregor didn’t do justice to the crowns.
While chasing the Floyd Mayweather money fight, McGregor vacated both the titles, and never defended them like his predecessors had. Of course, he made millions from the boxing bout, and went on to establish a business empire, making himself the most sought-after name in mixed martial arts.
However, it left a lasting mark on the sport too. Askren reminisced about the days when defending a title multiple times was the gold standard for greatness.
“You think of the all-time greats — Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre — they defended their belts for a very long reign,” recalled Ben
It’s true. Amanda Nunes, Alex Pereira, and even Cormier followed in McGregor’s footsteps. Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley was also keen to make the jump and would have too, had he not been stopped by Merab Dvalishvili first.
And now, featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has announced that he would like to move to lightweight, which would allow him to face bigger and much more famous opponents.
