"You were saying, champ?" - Ariel Helwani jibes at Daniel Cormier for wrongly predicting Vitor Belfort vs Evander Holyfield

Ariel Helwani has jibed at Daniel Cormier for wrongly predicting the boxing match between Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort. In yet another crossover spectacle, the former UFC fighter took on the legendary heavyweight boxer who has defeated the likes of Mike Tyson in the past.

Heading into the fight, Daniel Cormier claimed that there was no way Belfort could defeat Evander Holyfield in a boxing ring despite 'The Real Deal' being 58 years old:

"Ariel, I don’t care how bad he looks on the mitts or how old he is. I can’t see a world where this dude @holyfield loses a straight boxing match to Vitor. You’re tripping Helwani," Daniel Cormier wrote on Twitter.

As it turned out, Evander Holyfield proved to be no match for the 44-year-old Vitor Belfort, who still competes professionally. Holyfield was stopped on his feet by Belfort in the very first round of their main event encounter. Following the fight, Helwani took to Twitter to jibe at the former two-division UFC champion for claiming that there was no way Belfort could win the fight:

"You were saying, champ?" wrote Helwani on Twitter.

You were saying, champ? https://t.co/VdIba8eErv

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 12, 2021

Evander Holyfield returned to boxing after a decade to take on Vitor Belfort. Belfort was initially supposed to fight Oscar De La Hoya but the latter was ruled out following a positive COVID test. Holyfield decided to step up on short notice.

---

Evander Holyfield failed to impress in much-anticipated return to boxing

At 58, Holyfield no longer looks like the man who once dominated Mike Tyson. In the two minutes that he spent inside the ring with Belfort, Holyfield failed to land a single punch and was knocked down twice. Had the referee not stepped in to call an end to the fight, Holyfield could have suffered serious injuries.

Vitor Belfort’s pressure proved to be too much for Evander Holyfield. (via @OmarESPN) pic.twitter.com/wlR89gCjJC

— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) September 12, 2021

Holyfield failed to get any kind of offense going in the fight. Due to slower movement and reflexes, he was unable to defend himself properly. The lack of head movement was evident when he was repeatedly tagged by Belfort. 'The Real Deal' rendered himself a static target for Belfort to aim at, causing his downfall on the night.

While he wants to do more exhibition boxing matches, it would be smart for Evander Holyfield to enter the squared circle again only after having plugged the holes in his game.