Having two wins over champion Sean Strickland, many feel Dricus Du Plessis could be looking at a title shot following his victory over Kamaru Usman this past weekend, but Daniel Cormier feels the UFC could have other plans.
On Saturday at UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City, Du Plessis battered Kamaru Usman over the course of 5-rounds. Despite Usman’s dispute of the scorecards following the match, this was a one-sided affair, with Du Plessis outworking the former welterweight king in every round.
Now, many are expecting a third fight with Strickland to take place, but Daniel Cormier issued a statement that he doesn’t think that is move the UFC will make as their decision can sometimes hinge on the appetite of the fans. Cormier went on to explain that the fans aren’t excited about a third match between Strickland and Du Plessis, even if it makes the most sense for the division. Instead, the former heavyweight champion turned UFC commentator explained.
“When it comes to Sean Strickland and DDP fighting for a third time, I honestly believe that while me as a purist, as a person that loves watching the two best in the division fight for the championship, the two guys that seem to be the people that should be fighting for the belt, the two guys that have a history, I believe that DDP being 2-0 over the champ might actually be a bad thing,” Cormier said. “Why? Because I believe that 2-0 with the last fight being so dominant, people almost don’t want to go and watch another fight.
“Because the reality is this: No matter what Strickland had done, if DDP was still the champion, I don’t think that people would have ever wanted to see him fight for the belt again. So do we want to see them fight for a third time? I do because I’m a purist. But what does the general fan think when they have seen this act twice, and it got worse the second time by DDP? I don’t know.”