Cormier: Critics would have ‘had a field day with me’ if I lost to Gus

Daniel Cormier stepped into the octagon in Houston, Texas with a gameplan in mind to successfully defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 192. Unfortunately for him, he was facing Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson and was forced to fight the hardest fight of his life. Gustafsson and Cormier left it all in the octagon in one of the greatest light heavyweight championship fights of all time.

When all was said and done, it was Cormier who would walk out with the gold slung over his shoulder. Just like Chael Sonnen had said in a previous edition of “The Joe Rogan Experience”, Cormier explained that he felt a wave of relief rush over him when fight night wrapped up.

“My fiancé kept going, ‘Daniel, why don’t you go to sleep, why don’t you go to sleep?’ I finally told her why I couldn’t sleep and it was because it was just a lot of relief,” Cormier admitted to MMA Fighting. “There’s so much relief in actually going out there and beating such a tough guy in Alexander and defending this championship. The pressure that I felt going into that fight, not only fighting in Houston, but under the circumstances in which I won the title — if I would’ve lost that fight, my goodness, man, a lot of these people who badgered me on the internet, they would’ve had a field day with me.”

Cormier has been labeled a “paper champion” by naysayers of his championship reign. He may not have defeated Jon Jones for the title, but Jones is currently suspended from the roster and Cormier has defeated “Rumble” Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson. He sits atop the division with the title fastened around his waist; He is a champion. However, will he retain when he finally steps into the octagon with “Bones”? Make your prediction in the comment section below!