Daniel Cormier labels Khamzat Chimaev as ‘the biggest loser’ in Leon Edwards’ title win over Usman at UFC 278
Daniel Cormier believes Khamzat Chimaev was the ‘biggest loser’ in Leon Edwards’ dethroning of Kamaru Usman.
The reigning UFC welterweight champion Edwards shocked the world by scoring one of the biggest upsets against the former pound-for-pound king Usman at UFC 278. Usman looked set to be on his way to a unanimous decision win until Edwards landed a vicious head kick in the final minute of the outing to hand him the first knockout defeat of his career.
Daniel Cormier breaks down why Khamzat Chimaev was the biggest loser in the aftermath of UFC 278
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, two-division UFC champion-turned-commentator, and analyst Daniel Cormier shared his thoughts on the welterweight title contention after Edwards’ historic win over Edwards.
“I think last weekend he did not understand that he was the biggest loser in the Usman vs. Leon situation, because he was in line,” Cormier said (ht MMA Junkie). “All he had to do was get past Diaz. All he had to do, get past Diaz, you fight for the championship, but with Leon Edwards winning now, now we got a trilogy and rightfully so.“
Khamzat Chimaev is set to face fan favorite Nate Diaz in the headlining bout of UFC 279 on Sep. 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC president Dana White had stated that the outing would be a top contender contest, with the winner getting a shot at the promotional gold next. With Edwards winning the title, an immediate trilogy bout with Usman appears set, pushing the winner of Chimaev vs. Diaz back in line.
Cormier sees Chimaev fighting one more time before getting a title shot
Cormier believes Chimaev would need to dispatch of one more opponent before getting the title shot. While talking about what would be next for Chimaev, “DC” speculated a potential showdown with former interim division champion, Colby Covington.
“That leads to the question: What is this fight for? I feel like for Diaz, this fight’s for legacy. I feel like for Chimaev, this is just another scalp on his resume, because I don’t know if this win necessarily puts him closer than he already is to a championship fight. And, because of the result last weekend, he’ll need one more. I just wonder who that one more is going to come against. If he beats Diaz, does he get Covington next?”
