Kamaru Usman believes an old-school Daniel Cormier would have beaten up Jake Paul during the verbal altercation that took place between the pair at UFC 261 last weekend. 'Old School' DC is a reference to Cormier's extremely competitive attitude during his active days as a fighter. Cormier has been retired from professional MMA since August of 2020.
While speaking to comedian Andrew Shultz following his knockout win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261, Kamaru Usman was asked to give his pick for the potential clash between Daniel Cormier and Jake Paul. Rightfully, Kamaru Usman dismissed the possibility of a competitive fight between the two and stated that Cormier was very much capable of putting a beating on Paul even when they got into a verbal spat UFC 261.
"Oh my god. That's not equal. Honestly, I thought DC was gonna smack him over the weekend. You know DC loves that job... Old school DC would've smacked you right then. Not even a question, right there," Kamaru Usman said.
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YouTuber-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul has been on a call-out spree following his knockout win over Ben Askren at Triller's boxing event on April 18. Daniel Cormier was one of the MMA fighters that Paul called out for a boxing fight on social media in the days after the win. Paul irked Cormier during the UFC 261 prelims, who in turn left the commentary booth and got in Paul's face.
Daniel Cormier explains why he would not entertain the thought of a boxing match against Jake Paul
Competing against an inexperienced fighter like Jake Paul for a big payday is a prospect that will entice a lot of professional fighters. However, Daniel Cormier is not motivated by any such thoughts.
While speaking to Ariel Helwani in the recent issue of the DC-Helwani show, Cormier was asked if he would be interested in fighting Jake Paul. DC rightfully stated that he is a far more accomplished athlete than Paul and hence does not need to chase a fight like that for money. However, Cormier added that if Jake Paul wants to fight him, he can transition to Mixed Martial Arts and challenge DC on his own playing field:
"Why would I go and box Jake Paul? Who I am, doesn't make me chase anything. I made my money as the heavyweight champion of the world. I don't have to chase a payday. this kid wants to fight, okay. But it's got to be in a Mixed Martial Arts competition," Daniel Cormier said.