Daniel Cormier picked his male UFC fighter of the year 2021 in his analysis series on ESPN’, DC & RC.
The former UFC double champion picked Kamaru Usman as the fighter of the year.
Daniel Cormier explained why he picked the current welterweight champion and stated that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ fights often and overwhelms elite welterweights on a regular basis.
‘DC’ also revealed that he chose Ciryl Gane as his original pick for the fighter of the year, but later changed his pick to Usman.
“So I had picked him, Ciryl Gane, but then when I think about who Kamaru has beaten, how Kamaru has beaten them and we don’t get champions like Kamaru Usman, who are as dominant and long reigning as he is and fight as often… Kamaru Usman has not only defended the belt three times but he’s also made a jump in terms of his profile, his visibility, his marketability. Everything is at new level for him,” said Daniel Cormier.
Daniel Cormier’s pick doesn’t differ from the official Fighter of the Year title which was, in fact, awarded to Kamaru Usman at the World MMA Awards.
Kamaru Usman proved to be a dominant champion yet again in 2021. He defeated Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington and knocked out Jorge Masvidal in their second fight, making it a 3-0 record for himself in 2021.
Kamaru Usman has a flawless record in the UFC and is proving to be one of the greatest welterweights of all time.
Daniel Cormier’s co-host Ryan Clark picks Charles Oliveira as his fighter of the year
Ryan Clark, who serves as the co-host on ESPN’s DC & RC show along with Daniel Cormier, chose Charles Oliveira as his pick for the fighter of the year 2021.
Clark reasoned that Charles Oliveira has defied all odds by beating top opponents like Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier.
He also stated that ‘Do Bronx’ has been the underdog in each of his fights this past year. Despite all the doubters, Oliveira overcame adversity in both fights to impressively win and retain the coveted lightweight title.
Ryan Clark said:
“This is the dude with the top finishes in UFC history and now he had to go put that on display. He was hurt! And this wasn’t an easy fight against Dustin Poirier. It wasn’t the situation where he didn’t face adversity and to me it was overcoming the adversity that he had to overcome in two huge fights, right? The two biggest moments of his career that he had to work his way back to nobody gave those things to Charles Oliveira and so to me, that’s why that’s why ‘Do Bronx’ is my fighter of the year.”