Daniel Cormier has a plan to make the rumored 165-pound division a hit if it is introduced by the UFC but Ben Askren fails to agree. Cormier feels that if a super lightweight division is to be introduced in the UFC it will take a big name like Conor McGregor to make the weight new weight class a hit.
Ben Askren disagrees with Cormier
Askren disagrees with Cormier on the notion that ‘Notorious’ will be good for the new weight division’s popularity. Ben Askren argues that McGregor’s last significant win came back in 2016 against Nate Diaz, and he is not eligible to fight for any belt despite him being a big name.
“McGregor is coming off like four losses, Daniel,” Ben Askren said on Funky and the Champ show . “It doesn’t make any sense. If he’s a guy who had won 20 in a row or something – kind of like my situation where I’m like, ‘I’m not going to fight Tyron (Woodley).’ If we are going to try and make a belt for Conor, just make another BMF. Make ‘IMF: Irish Motherf*cker.”
Ben Askren was quite clear on expressing his feelings towards the UFC legend Conor McGregor. Askren thinks McGregor’s era is over and it is time for UFC to give priorities to fighters who are winning fights lately.
Cormier opens up on how UFC should introduce the new weight class
Cormier opened up on how UFC should emphasize the necessity of adding a big name to give the new weight class significance. Daniel Cormier criticized UFC’s approach to the introduction of the women’s featherweight division, which was hit by a lack of popularity after Amanda Nunes retired
“If you do 165, it has to be Conor,” Cormier said “You can’t have two normal fighters introducing the weight. Look, it didn’t work at 145 when they did it for the women. It ended up being two people”
Cormier believes that the stage is set perfectly as McGregor is about to return to the ring in a fight against Michael Chandler after an injury kept him sidelined for a long time.