“I’d Be Pissed” – Daniel Cormier Reacts to Khabib Nurmagomedov Kicking Tony Ferguson’s Belt

Khabib Nurmagomedov is arguably the best MMA wrestler in the UFC. The Dagestani has mauled his competition throughout his career, currently holding a record of 28 consecutive wins. His last victory came in September when he defeated fellow lightweight Dustin Poirier.

Khabib’s next opponent is a man who nobody wants to face. Tony Ferguson, the former interim lightweight champion, is on a 12-fight win streak. Named after the Mexican urban legend “El Cucuy, the fighter has earned a reputation of tarnishing his opponent’s faces.

The duo was arranged to fight four times before. However, the matches were rescheduled every time because of injuries by either fighter. Every time the fight fell apart, the hype around it grew bigger.

They will face each other for the first time in what will go down as one of the biggest showdowns of the sport on 18 April 2020.

Daniel Cormier feels Tony Ferguson has the mental edge over Khabib Nurmagomedov

The recently held press conference for UFC 249 was full of drama and hype. Both men tried to win the psychological warfare. Ultimately, Tony’s trash-talking got the better of Khabib, who broke a stoic silence to fire back at the American.

The highlight of the press conference happened during the face-offs. Tony had brought his interim belt to the press conference. He put his belt on the ground and asked Khabib to do the same.

However, the Dagestani did not oblige, instead of kicking Tony’s interim championship belt away.

Daniel Cormier, Khabib’s friend and training partner, believes that Khabib vs Tony is the biggest fight in UFC history. While in an interview with Rich Eisen, he referred to Khabib and Tony as the most skilled athletes in the 155 lbs division. Moreover, he claimed that Tony Ferguson is the most dangerous fight for his teammate, Khabib.

Cormier said that an opponent kicking his belt would make him angry.

“I’d be pissed off,” Cormier told Eisen.

“I think Tony went to press conference with the idea that he was going to agitate Khabib. And I feel when Khabib kicked the belt, he gave Tony exactly what he wanted.”

The American felt that Khabib gave his adversary the necessary ammunition to instigate him further.