Daniel Cormier is excited for MVP’s debut MMA event, but says it’s no White House card.
On May 16, Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano return to headline the Netflix event at Intuit Dome, Inglewood, Calif. Also featured on the card is Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins, and Cormier’s favorite fight on the card: Mike Perry vs. Nate Diaz.
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“The third fight is what might have gotten me most excited: Mike Perry and Nate Diaz,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Now let me tell you why. Nate Diaz and Mike Perry are not two of the best welterweights in the world, make no mistake about it. They are not of the level of Kamaru Usman, Islam Makhachev, Jack Della Maddalena, Michael Morales, Sean Brady and Ian Garry. They’re not that. They are not that level of fighter.
“The best fighters are in the UFC, make no mistake about that. But why would that excite me? Because of the names, and because you know what it’s going to bring. You can have fights, and you can have matchups that are great on paper, but the whole thing leading is a bit (lackluster). But this one will not be. This is two guys that know how to engage an audience, and they know how to make people pay attention to what they’re doing.”
Despite the war Rousey is waging against the UFC, Cormier argues that UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 in Washington is levels above. Ilia Topuria battles Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title-unification bout in the main event, and Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane battle for the interim heavyweight title in the co-headliner.
“Nothing is ever going to be the UFC,” Cormier said. “It just won’t happen, but at least there it seems like it’s real. A real event on a real platform that gives these people an ability to not only make a living, but have people tune in. It’s free. It’s Netflix, one of the biggest platforms in the world. … I think what they’ve done with this Carano-Rousey card is made a real place for people to fight outside of the UFC.
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“And, I mean, honestly, competition is a good thing. It always is and always has been, and it always will be, and I love seeing guys have the ability to go out there and make some money. So, congratulations. That’s good. I’m excited. I’m actually excited. But for people comparing it to the White House card, no chance, guys. Come on. The White House card is the best card of the year, for sure. It’s better than that, let’s just be completely honest.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Daniel Cormier: Rousey vs. Carano card not better than UFC Freedom 250
