Daniel Cormier picked a champion as the Fighter of the Year for 2021
With 2021 coming to an end, it is time for some big calls. The UFC saw some incredible bouts over the past 12 months and even COVID-19 could not stop the cards from taking place.
New champions were crowned while some stars struggled to get going. Some, however, move on to higher ground and etched closer to being considered as legends.
Daniel Cormier, a former UFC champion, was quick to share who his fighter of 2021 was. DC, as Cormier is known, initially gave the crown to Ciryl Gane, who is in the interim UFC Heavyweight champion.
However, it seems that DC has changed his mind. He went on to name Kamaru Usman as the best of 2021. Cormier first stated that Gane deserved it because the Frenchman had beaten Alexander Volkov, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and then won the interim title against Derrick Lewis.
However, DC then brought out Usman (h/t MMA Fighting):
“So I had picked him [Gane], but then when I started to think about it and I think who Kamaru has beaten, how Kamaru has beaten them — we don’t get champions like Kamaru Usman who are as dominant and as long-reigning as he is that fight as often. But we should because if you’re that far ahead of the competition, why not collect the checks? Why not continue to dominate? Why not continue to go in there?”
Kamaru Usman reaching new heights
DC then brought up how Usman knocked out Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal in title fights. The UFC Welterweight champion also went to war with Colby Covington and came out on top in a five-round slugfest.
Cormier believed that Usman had made a jump in “terms of his profile, his visibility, his marketability.”
He then brought up how Usman was going to a mother level now:
“Everything is at a new level for Kamaru Usman and that is only because he went out there and knocked out ‘Street Jesus’ bad. He beat a guy many consider 1A in Colby Covington again. And he also knocked out his former training partner after being hurt. Fantastic year for the champ, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Kamaru Usman. That’s my pick.”
Usman is considered as one of the greatest Welterweights and he is undefeated in the UFC. The Nigerian Nightmare has been unstoppable since picking up the gold and has beaten all comers.
It is to be seen what is next for Usman, but there is no doubt, he will be the favourite for whichever fight is next.
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