Daniel Cormier TV - Daniel Cormier REACTS to Ilia Topuria calling Islam Makhachev & Charles Oliveira SCARED TO FIGHT

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: Daniel Cormier TV - Daniel Cormier REACTS to Ilia Topuria calling Islam Makhachev & Charles Oliveira SCARED TO FIGHT
Release Date: March 31, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

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Introduction

In this episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the focus shifts to the evolving dynamics within the UFC lightweight division. Daniel Cormier, a former UFC champion and renowned commentator, delves into Ilia Topuria's provocative statements challenging Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira, asserting that they are intimidated to face him. The discussion explores Topuria's rise, the implications of his challenges, and the broader impact on the UFC landscape.

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Ilia Topuria's Ascension in the UFC

Daniel Cormier begins by highlighting Ilia Topuria's impressive trajectory within the UFC. Topuria, known for his undefeated streak and knockout prowess, has rapidly become a standout star in the lightweight division.

"Ilia Topuria is phenomenal. He's undefeated, a world champion, and knocks people out. He has become a true star in the UFC." [02:45]

Cormier emphasizes Topuria's marketability and the excitement he brings to the organization, noting his ability to draw significant attention both domestically and internationally.

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Topuria's Challenge to Makhachev and Oliveira

The crux of the episode centers around Topuria's bold declaration that Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira are "scared to fight" him. Cormier breaks down the context and potential motivations behind these statements.

"Ilia said that he wants a title fight point blank. He said that he's focusing all of his training on Islam or Charles because he doesn't see any other opponents." [05:10]

Cormier interprets Topuria's comments as a strategic move to position himself as the next legitimate contender for the lightweight belt, leveraging psychological warfare to unsettle his potential opponents.

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Fear and Respect Among Fighters

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the concepts of fear and respect in the UFC. Cormier argues that while Topuria may claim his opponents are intimidated, fighters at this level typically do not entertain fear when entering the octagon.

"Neither Islam is afraid of him. Neither Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, or Michael Chandler are afraid of each other." [08:22]

He further asserts that respect, rather than fear, is the driving force behind fighter matchups, emphasizing that mutual respect among peers is paramount for bout legitimacy and acceptance.

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Topuria's Marketability and Future Prospects

Cormier shifts focus to Topuria's immense popularity on social media and his potential to become one of the UFC's biggest stars. With a combined Instagram following that surpasses 17 million when paired with fellow fighters, Topuria's marketability is undeniable.

"Topuria has 7 million Instagram followers and Makhachev has 10 million. We haven't had a fight between two MMA fighters who have a combined 17 million followers." [11:07]

He underscores the financial logic behind matching fighters with substantial followings, suggesting that such a fight would not only be lucrative but also a landmark event in MMA history.

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Organizational Agreements and Scheduling Challenges

Despite the apparent benefits, Cormier addresses the logistical hurdles in making a Topuria title fight a reality. Topuria's reluctance to fight in international venues like Spain due to unfavorable scheduling times presents a significant barrier.

"Ilia said he's unwilling to fight in Spain because it would require fighting at 4 or 5 AM U.S. prime time. He doesn't want to go through that or put other fighters through it." [12:50]

This stance, while maintaining his training focus and respect within the locker room, complicates efforts to arrange a high-profile bout that satisfies both the organization's marketing aspirations and the fighters' logistical preferences.

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Conclusion and Future Outlook

Daniel Cormier concludes the episode by reflecting on Topuria's strategic positioning within the UFC. While recognizing Topuria's potential to elevate the lightweight division, Cormier remains cautiously optimistic about the feasibility of a title fight against Makhachev or Oliveira.

"When dollars make sense to both parties, I believe it'll happen. If Topuria has to fight someone before, it's only going to help his standing in the division." [13:45]

Cormier anticipates that Topuria's continued success and strategic maneuvering will eventually lead to a marquee matchup, reinforcing his status as a premier UFC contender.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Ilia Topuria's Star Power:
  "Ilia Topuria is phenomenal... he has become a true star in the UFC." [02:45]

• Topuria's Focused Training:
  "All of my training is focused on Islam or Charles because I don't see any other opponents." [04:15]

• Addressing Fear Among Fighters:
  "Neither Islam is afraid of him. Neither Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, or Michael Chandler are afraid of each other." [08:22]

• Marketability and Social Media Influence:
  "Topuria has 7 million Instagram followers and Makhachev has 10 million... a combined 17 million followers." [11:07]

• Scheduling Challenges for International Fights:
  "Ilia said he's unwilling to fight in Spain because it would require fighting at 4 or 5 AM U.S. prime time." [12:50]

• Financial Viability of a Topuria Fight:
  "When dollars make sense to both parties, I believe it'll happen." [13:45]

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Final Thoughts

This episode provides an insightful analysis of Ilia Topuria's strategic assertions within the UFC lightweight division. Daniel Cormier effectively dissects the interplay between fighter psychology, market dynamics, and organizational logistics. For fans and followers of MMA, this discussion offers a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing potential high-stakes matchups and the future direction of one of the sport's most competitive weight classes.

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Note: The timestamps are approximations based on the provided transcript and may not reflect the exact moments in the actual podcast.

Transcript

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Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's sports are you hungry?

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Colleen Witt here and Eating While Broke is back for Season four every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. This season we've got a legendary lineup serving up broke dishes and even better stories on the menu. We have Tony Baker, Nick Cannon, Melissa Ford, October London and Carrie Harper Howey turning Big Macs into big moves. Catch Eating While Broke every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. IHeartRadio app Apple podcasts Wherever you get favorite shows, come hungry for season four.

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Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some folks across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like Chairman and CEO of Elf Beauty, Tarang Amin, legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel Being a rock star is very fun.

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[Unknown Speaker]

All right, so I'm in Mexico City and kind of wish I had something better as a backdrop because it's just A white wall makes me feel like I'm in like detention home or something. Like when the kid gets in trouble, they go to detention center. So I'm locked out here in Mexico City. But of course, I could never be too far from you. So I'm trying to get in on this guy. Il hey. Ilot Toria has been something else ever since the moment he int. He announced that he was going up to 155. Clearly, because he's such a big star, people will start to talk about him. But ultimately was a lot of people talking before and he didn't have much to say. But lately Ilot Toria has had a lot to say. Ilia Toria is phenomenal. Let's call it what it is. He's a great fighter. He's undefeated. He's a world champion. He knocks people out. He really has become a true star in the UFC and for the ufc. So there's a lot of excitement that surrounds the things that Ilya Toporia does. It was, is he going to fight for the belt right away? Will Islam fight him? He said Islam said no. Will it be Charles Oliveira? Charles Oliveira said no. But just, just the, the thing or the point to me to make in this is that all the conversations include Ilia to Poirier in a new weight class, right? We aren't talking about a guy that's been at 155 the whole time. Hell, I don't know that he's ever fought at 155. Maybe early in his career when he was just bringing the weight down. But in the UFC's always been at 45. But the important thing is all the conversations surround Ilia Toporia right now. Ilya said that he wants a title fight point blank. He said that he's focusing all of his training. And I'll read the quote. All of my training is focused on Islam or Charles because I don't see any other opponents. Neither of them seem to dare to fight me. These are symptoms of fear. We all know that, but it's normal. I'd be scared too. Now, honestly, this is kind of like something that. This is a quote that the foreigners say that sound much cooler because if I was to say that, I'd be like, well, I'm only one to fight the champions, but they are scared of me. So that's why. And it wouldn't sound as cool as like a Spanish Georgian guy. Ilya to Poirier, essentially he's just saying that these guys are scared, but these are symptoms of fear. Like, I mean, come on, man, I, you know, come on, Ilia. Daporia is a cool guy, but I kind of disagree. Well, I know for sure Islam achev is not a freedom. I'll tell you this as a person that's a friend of Islam, a person that's known Islam for years and years, he's not afraid of him. So while Ilya to Poria may strike some fear in most or some, Islam's not afraid of him. Honestly, I'll be honest with you, like, neither is Justin Gaethje, neither is Charles Oliveira, neither is Dustin Poirier or Michael Chandler. Those guys aren't afraid of each other. They're fighters. And when you're a fighter, fear is kind of the last thing that crosses your mind in regards to another fighter, especially if all you have to do is fight them. Now, do you get a little bit concerned at times that somebody might shoot you? Of course, it's not a street fight. You go into an octagon with rules that you're going to fight. So fear is the last thing that these guys think when thinking of an opponent. So they're not afraid of Ilya. I think some of the issues are for Islam and for Charles is like Islam wants to fight someone that's not had been at 145. Charles wants a title fight. There are so many people that seem to have a clear idea of what their direction is that that's why I think they don't want to fight Ilia. But ultimately, to fight Ilya is to be in the biggest fight that the weight class can give you right now. Because watching this, watching how all this has worked out from the outside I see now or I can respect the type of cachet that he has. He's not just another fighter. Ilya Toporia carries some weight with him and I believe that of all those guys because we've seen it before. We've seen Tsaruki in Islam, we've seen Charles Islam, we've seen Charles, Dustin Charles, everybody. We haven't seen Ilya versus those guys. And I believe because of what he is and who he is, those fight have the ability to sell. Because when Alex Pereira lost, everybody was saying the biggest winner was Tom Aspinall because it took the Alex per Jon Jones fight off the table, almost forcing Jon Jones into fighting Tom Aspinall. Guys, I got to disagree a little bit. I think the biggest beneficiary of that was Ilia Toporia because I feel that especially watching the way people are responding and reacting to him, he has that ability to ascend to one of the biggest stars in the ufc. That's true. Very few people can bring a fight to a country and sell it out. Ilya is one of those guys. If they were to go to Spain, they could sell out the burn of bail, which is crazy. That's a huge stadium where Real Madrid plays. I feel confident that if he was to fight there, he could sell that out. I'll get into why he won't in a little bit, but I think he's that type of star, and I think the reaction and reception that he's gotten since moving up has pointed to that. And honestly, I believe it's rooted in respect, because so many athletes, myself included, when you go up, you keep the belt. You want that, that security. You want that blanket of comfort to say, if it goes sideways, I still got my other belt. He said, no, I'm not doing that. I'm just going up. I'm going to go and fight at 155. I'm staying there. Let these other guys get a chance to become champion. Will that work out in the long run? I don't know. But he carries this aura of invincibility about him right now, and that is what is allowing him to make these types of decisions. So, yeah, it's big news. It's a big deal, and this kid seems to be doing the right things. Sadly, we don't have any idea what he's doing next. We have no idea what he's doing next. Charles said he wants a title shot. I think Armand Tsarukian needs a fight. I think that would be great. I think it'd be amazing fight. I just don't know that those guys are going to be fighting each other, because Arman was the guy that was getting a title fight, and now he has to fight again. So there's like a lot of. Lot of stuff that we talked about in a couple weeks ago, but all of them seem to involve El Matador, which is not his nickname anymore. I can't even say what his new nickname is, but they all seem to involve Ilya Tapori. Guys, I was talking about him saying. Or his ability to sell out the Burna Bell. Ilya said he's unwilling to do that. He said that, and this is the quote. It's because of the agreement with the UFC and espn, the scheduling issue, because if they bring a numbered event to Spain, it would have to be at 4 or 5am to be prime time in the United States. So I don't see it as a very feasible to have everyone on their feet at 4 or 5am, he said during a press conference. He said, even as an athlete, I don't see myself competing at that time. I did it once in Abu Dhabi. We had to fight at such a crazy time and I don't want to do it again. That is the exact issue that Leon Edwards said he had when he was fighting Bilal Muhammad for his belt, fighting at that time. So even that guys hearing Ilya say that, I don't want to have these guys all fighting at 4 o'clock in the morning. So even though I have this dream of fighting in Spain, I would almost go away from that because I don't want to put myself through it and I don't want to put the other fighters through it. That right there gets you to support in the locker room and you really do want the support of the locker room in this thing. You want to be respected and admired by your peers more than anyone. As much as we love the adulation from the fans, there's nothing more than to have the respect of your friends, your family, your peers, the people in the locker room. We always talk about the man in the arena. We always talk about the man in the arena. The man in the arena loves the respect of the other man that has to stand in that arena. To be judged by someone that never went through what you did is very difficult. It's hard to truly take take seriously. So to get that respect of your peers is very important. That's why having respect amongst the fighters was so important to me and to so many others. Ilia Toporia seems to be making the moves as a headliner that will protect his respect that he has with his peers. But Islam's not afraid of him and neither is any of these other guys. What ultimately will happen though is dollars make sense. I feel that the dollars are with Toporia. Luis, tell me how many Instagram followers to Pori has right now because very few fighters have so many. Mahachev has 10 million now. He's a star. Toporia has. Luis is going to throw it in the chat here in a second and I'll tell you, Tepore has 7 million Instagram followers. When have we ever had a fight between two MMA fighters who have a combined 17 million followers on Instagram? We don't. Dollars makes sense and ultimately when it makes sense to both parties, I believe it'll happen. And if Topori has to go to someone before, it's only going to help his what he's going to be to this division. Pereira has 6.8. And we know how big a start to Pereira is. Imagine if Topori could continue to win at the rate that he had 7 million Instagram followers and 10 from a hot Chevy. Probably 10 and a half at this point because he got 10 a couple weeks ago. It's truly amazing what these athletes are becoming to the world. And we have a new one that's capturing their imaginations right now in Ilia Toporia. He's the bell of the ball man. Everybody wants to go with the pretty girl to the prom. Let's see who gets her hand. Let's see who gets to give the corsage and get to fight with Ilia Topori in his first fight at lightweight. It's interesting. It's intriguing. And I'm so happy that I'm going to be next to the octagon when it happens because I have the best job in the world and I'm one of the luckiest people because I get to call these fights. So, guys, thanks again for watching this. Until next time, like subscribe and tell your friends. I have a YouTube channel and I'm dropping videos like this constantly. Hey, yo. I'm about to hit you with a lot coming up because the channel is growing and a lot of people have gained interest in being a part of team dctv. So we're gonna start rocking and rolling and rocking and rolling. And we'll keep upping the production to keep making it bigger and better. And I will see all of you. Hey, I'll see all of you in Miami and then I'll see all of you at WrestleMania. More news coming on that very soon. Till next time, guys. Peace.

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Colleen Witt here and Eating While Broke is back for Season four every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. This season we've got a legendary lineup serving, serving up broke dishes and even better stories on the menu. We have Tony Baker, Nick Cannon, Melissa Ford, October London and Kerry Harper Howey turning Big Macs into big moves. Catch Eating While Broke every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. IHeartRadio app Apple podcasts Wherever you get your favorite shows, come hungry for season four.

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