Daniel Cormier is one of the few champ-champs in UFC history, so his perspective is certainly worth something.
In 2018, then-light heavyweight champion Cormier moved to heavyweight and captured a second title by knocking out Stipe Miocic. This February, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) looks to do something similar when he fights lightweight champ Islam Makhachev (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia.
Even though he has professional and personal relationships with Makhachev due to their ties to American Kickboxing Academy, Cormier thinks Volkanovski shouldn’t be counted out, at least not on the basis of weight.
“The guy is going to be a little heavier, but Volkanovski did not look small in the octagon when he walked in there to challenge Islam,” Cormier told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a news conference Tuesday. “He’s shorter, and it may be an illusion, because Islam is at weight and in shape, and Volkanovski isn’t. He’s out of camp looking a little bigger. He made weight, though, didn’t he? Didn’t he make weight? He still didn’t look small, so he’s not going to be undersized.
“This dude has more talent and more skill than anyone. This challenge he is undertaking is as big as anything that anyone in the UFC has tried to accomplish in terms of trying to become the double champion. It’ll be tough, but I think both of these guys will make for a fantastic fight.”
Cormier is one of only four fighters to successfully achieve the feat in promotion history. The other three are Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo.
UFC 284 takes place Saturday, Feb. 11 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. An interim title fight between Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett is also scheduled for the event.
