“We’re all fighters and we do want to stand on our own accord. We don’t want to ride Conor’s coattails. Obviously, he’s done great things in the sport. We’re fighting for the UFC light heavyweight championship, if that’s not big enough for you then you’ve got a problem. You’re getting to watch two of the best guys between Jon and I, Jon’s undefeated, he’s 22 or 23 and 0, I’m 18 or 17 and 1 — we’ve fought over 40 times and we have one loss combined and it’s to him. You’ve got two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world fighting and that’s not enough? With Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar, Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes, Cain Velasquez, Travis Browne – if that’s not enough for you, you’re really just a fan of Conor McGregor and not a fan of fighting.”
-Daniel Cormier criticizes any fans unwilling to tune into UFC 200’s current lineup without Conor McGregor during an appearance on Fox Sports Live (via FoxSports.com).
Penick’s Analysis: There are a lot of fans who are simply fans of particular fighters, and it doesn’t mean they necessarily need to be shamed for disinterest in certain other fights or events. Not everyone who enjoys Conor McGregor’s style wants to see Daniel Cormier, or Miesha Tate, or even Cain Velasquez. Now, UFC 200 is a fairly strong card, but it doesn’t entirely feel like the event it could have been for the “historic” event they’re trying to put out there. Cormier and Jones fighting again is a very good fight, but Jones won that first matchup and there’s only a rematch because of Jones’ issues outside of the cage. Miesha Tate is fighting a challenger well under the name value of the last two Women’s Title competitors. Jose Aldo just got knocked out in 13 seconds and isn’t fighting the man who took the belt from him. There’s reason enough to find this not nearly as compelling as Cormier believes it to be, and there will be a segment of the fanbase who ultimately feels that way come July 9.
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