Ahead of the fifth PPV event of 2024, UFC commentator and former two-division champion, Daniel Cormier gives out a factor that could be detrimental to Alexandre Pantoja’s title defense against Aussie fighter Steve Erceg. Speaking to his Good Guy/ Bad Guy co-host, Chael Sonnen, DC took a page out of NBA superstar, Shaquille O’Neal’s book to draw a close parallel to the Brazilian fighter.
Mentioning O’Neal in his take, Cormier explained the rocky relationship the Flyweight champion has with his father. Recalling the fighter’s title-winning speech which had an underlying anecdote about the Brazilian’s estranged father, Cormier opined,
“Even Shaq’s biological dad wasn’t there but then Shaq accepted him to his life because Shaq’s a big man, right? Shaq’s the man, so he accepted him but it felt like Pantoja had those underlying things.”
He mentioned how ‘Shaq’ patched things up with his father who was not there for him during his younger days. Cormier said how the 52-year-old got his father back into his life despite the sour moments, essentially showing his character and big heart.
Before he drew the former LA Lakers star into the picture, the UFC commentator gave the community a brief of what happened after his title triumph against Brandon Moreno. UFC 290 at iconic T-Mobile Arena in Vegas saw an emotional post-fight speech with Pantoja, calling out his father on live TV to ask him if he is proud now, hinting at a bitter childhood and a rocky relationship with his old man.
Briefing his co-host, Sonnen about the same, DC said,
“After he won the belt, not last fight. When he beat Brandon Moreno, he said, papa or daddy, are you proud of me, now with Rogan in the Octagon he asked his father, can you see me, now? That’s crazy, imagine if that man shows up.”
DC then went on to reveal that such a turnaround could mean disaster for the champion as he might as well be on unsteady legs considering his emotional state.
DC warns Pantoja of “detrimental” emotional state for title defense in Rio
Things did not come easy for flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja who had to claw his way to the top through sheer grind alone. He even worked as an Uber Eats driver, delivering food for three years to make both ends meet and to fuel his UFC ambitions. He revealed his humble ways in an exclusive given to talkSport, where he talked about his life before his rise to the top.
Now coming to the crux of the matter, while mentioning his rocky relationship with his father, DC came up with a possible scenario that could dethrone the champion. He said,
“If you’re harboring that emotion towards him Chael that you say that in your biggest moment, imagine if dad shows up at the fight hotel or if dad is in the arena , catching a glimpse of him as he goes onto the octagon. There are a lot of things that can be that detrimental to him fighting in Brazil. I’m not saying will be but they can be.”
In essence, with emotions running wild, DC says that his father’s presence in the arena can be a big factor in the fight as it might topple Pantoja’s plans. But will that come to a reality? Well, for that we’ll have to wait until tomorrow, May 4 to find out.
