UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier believes slams have too much of a negative impact in MMA.
Elijah Smith (9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) scored a scary slam knockout of Toshiomi Kazama on Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 72 prelims at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Kazama (11-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was rendered unconscious after Smith drove him through the mat and needed medical attention before taking a while to stand up.
In the wake of the violent finish, Cormier explained why he’d be OK with slams being banned.
“There are very few rules that you have to follow, right? One is you can’t hit him behind the head,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “You hit him behind the head, that’s the biggest no-no. But if you slam him, what hits first, Chael? The back of the head. So there’s a reason we don’t get to punch behind the back of the head. So if I’m being honest, like, I don’t know that I would be opposed to that being done away with, especially in that fashion.
“It was like the Undertaker, Kevin Nash, Big Daddy Cool, Diesel, The Razor’s Edge. It was every finishing move you’ve ever seen (in pro wrestling) all in one. So, while slamming the person right down on their head is legal, I would probably say I would not be too mad if they did away with that. Just the impact on the back of the head is crazy. In most cases, that becomes the story of the night.”
Thankfully, all of Kazama’s CT scans came back negative, and the Japanese fighter posted a positive update on social media the day after the fight.
