Daniel Cormier on Rumble Rematch: If He Doesn’t Knock Me Out, He Can’t Win the Fight

On December 10, the UFC will touch down in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with UFC 206. The biggest fight confirmed for the card so far is a light heavyweight title showdown between champion Daniel Cormier and challenger Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

These two dangerous light heavyweights, of course, have fought once before. On that night, Cormier emerged the victor with a third-round rear-naked choke. And while Rumble’s incredible knockout power makes a different outcome very possible in the rematch, Cormier is confident he’ll come out on top again.

He broke down this upcoming showdown on Mondays’ episode of The MMA Hour.

“I respect Anthony, I like Anthony a lot, I’ll be honest with you,” Cormier explained to Ariel Helwani on the show. “I think he’s a phenomenal fighter. I think he’s tough as nails, he hits hard as can be, but the truth is if he doesn’t knock me out, he can’t win the fight, and that’s really not enough. You can’t have one avenue to victory. He has to knock me out because I know Anthony Johnson can’t out-hustle me over 25 minutes. I know Anthony Johnson’s not gonna submit me. I know the only way he’s going to beat me is to knock me out, and one avenue to victory is not enough.”

Despite the fact that he recently defeated Johnson, and that he expects to do so again, Cormier assured that he is still plenty motivated for this looming showdown.

“I’m extremely motivated to fight him,” the light heavyweight champ explained. “I like how Anthony looks so phenomenal in his fights that people kinda make him into King Kong. It’s like he’s 10 feet tall, and I like that. I like people viewing him in that way, cause then I get to go out and smash on him and show them that it doesn’t matter what you build these people into. Whenever [two guys] go into the Octagon and they fight, the guy that’s more skilled and more well-rounded is going to beat him, so I like that they build him into this superman.”

Cormier also touched on the fact that fight fans seem to have a short memory.

“It’s amazing that we fought a year and a half ago,” he said. “You should see the stuff I get [on social media], like ‘dude you’re getting knocked out.’ It’s amazing, cause man I heard this like 15 months ago, and honestly maybe he’s gotten better with Neil Melanson, I don’t know, but every fight’s been exactly what it’s been before and I’m just go in there and get him again, and make him give up.”

Do you think Cormier will beat Rumble again as he expects, or is he in for a surprise? Sound off, PENN nation!