UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will be putting his title on the line when he faces talented knockout artist Derrick Lewis on Saturday, Nov. 3. The fight will headline the highly anticipated fight card for UFC 230, live on pay-per-view for fight fans around the world.
Speaking at the recent UFC 230 media day, Daniel Cormier issued his thoughts on the upcoming match up.
“I didn’t (watch his interview), I just got some tweets saying that he thought he can get me because I’m not taking him serious. That’s one mistake we don’t make at the American Kickboxing Academy. Everybody is worthy. And where’s the idea that this guy doesn’t deserve a title shot? This guy’s ranked No. 2 in the world. He just beat the No. 1 and 2-ranked guys in his last two fights within, what? Three months? He’s won nine of his last 10 fights.
“This guy deserves to be in this position. But, sometimes success leads to an obstacle that may be a little too big to conquer. And I think this is the one that he’s going to struggle with.”
“To watch Derrick do what he’s done, because his story is well-documented; the guy had a tough start to his adult life. To become what he’s become: A millionaire, a successful black man. It’s something to truly appreciate. So when I saw what happened in the Volkov fight, it’s not surprising. He has seen the very worst. This is a guy that society probably wrote off. Like, ‘You’re in prison, you have nothing to give back.’ But he overcame that. So to watch a man get beat for 14 minutes and win that fight in that fashion; some people it may be surprising. To Derrick Lewis, no. This guy’s a warrior, he’s a fighter and he fought at life, so that makes it easy to fight in the octagon.
“It was very impressive but not unexpected because I respect what he’s had to accomplish to get to where he is today. But, again, I won’t let him off the hook. There’s no Hail Mary’s when you’re fighting someone like me. He’s going to have to set up that strike more than he’s every had to set up that strike in his career. I’m not just going to hang my chin out there for him to hit.”
“When I watch Derrick fight I know he’s got a ton of heart. But that only takes you so far. You need so much more and I feel like I have that much more.”
