Daniel Cormier has been a close associate of the Nurmagomedovs from Dagestan for a while now. He has picked the best fighter out of all of Team Khabib, and it is not Khabib Nurmagomedov or Islam Makhachev. Rather it is Bellator star, Usman Nurmagomedov who is the so-called ‘heir’ to the Dagestani rule in the UFC’s lightweight division.
UFC legends Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen recently sat down for an episode of the Good Guy/Bad Guy MMA show. During their conversation, Sonnen mentioned the Gracie family and their reputation as the great fighting family and how the Nurmagomedovs were coming for their title. This was when Daniel Cormier talked about who he thought was the best among the Nurmagomedovs.
Chael, Usman may be the best one out of all of them, this dude is amazing in terms of fighting. The guy he fights in Bellator, now the PFL.
Daniel Cormier on Good Guy/Bad Guy
Usman Nurmagomedov is a prominent name in MMA who currently reigns as Bellator’s lightweight champion. The Dagestani boasts an undefeated professional record of 17 wins, 0 losses, and 1 no-contest. Some of his notable victories in Bellator include wins over Mike Hamel, Luis Muro, Patrik Pietilä, and former UFC champion Benson Henderson.
👀DC claims Usman Nurmagomedov could be the best fighter in the Nurmagomedov family which includes Khabib, Umar and Islam Makhachev🦅
“Usman may be the best one out of all of them, this dude is amazing in terms of fighting”
🎥 @espnmma ▫️ pic.twitter.com/h6lMCGDmq7
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 5, 2024
For his upcoming fight, Nurmagomedov will defend his Bellator lightweight title against Alexander Shabliy this September. They will fight at the Bellator Champions Series event in San Diego. This fight would mark Nurmagomedov’s return after he had to withdraw from a previously scheduled bout in Paris due to an undisclosed injury. However, the Bellator star was not the only Nurmagomedov to earn praise from the former UFC double champion.
Daniel Cormier says Umar Nurmagomedov is better than Khabib and Islam Makhachev
Daniel Cormier had high praises for UFC bantamweight, Umar Nurmagomedov. The UFC commentator believes that ‘Young Eagle’ is a better version of both undefeated former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and reigning lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev.
In a recent episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy, ‘DC’ spoke about how Islam Makhachev was an upgrade to Khabib Nurmagomedov in his opinion. Expanding on that, Cormier said that Umar Nurmagomedov was the next level of lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Umar is the next level of that where he possesses the striking, he possesses the wrestling but he’s also got great grappling….These Russian guys just keep jumping levels
Daniel Cormier on Good Guy/Bad Guy
Daniel Cormier says Umar Nurmagomedov is an upgraded version of Khabib and Islam Makhachev😳🦅
“Umar is the next level of that [Khabib & Islam] where he possesses the striking, he possesses the wrestling but he’s also got great grappling.”
“These Russian guys just keep jumping… pic.twitter.com/wcVf5sk6Qn
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 1, 2024
This was right before Umar Nurmagomedov stepped into the ring against #2 bantamweight Cory Sandhagen. The Dagestani went the distance at UFC Abu Dhabi and scored the unanimous decision win. He is now closer to taking on the winner of Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili for a potential shot at the UFC bantamweight title.
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