Daniel Cormier Says He’s Cemented His Place In MMA History

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Daniel Cormier said that even if he loses his UFC heavyweight title at UFC 230, he has already cemented his place in MMA history. Cormier will face Derrick Lewis at the event. Here are highlights:

On the risk of his fight with Lewis: “It’s very risky. This is a guy that can finish the fight in no time.”

On what happens if he loses: “That’s the difference between me and a lot of other guys: If I was to get beat by Derrick Lewis and then I had nothing else, I’d still be OK. The reality is, what I’ve done is done. You can’t take it away. Just because I lose doesn’t change it. People don’t look at B.J. Penn any different because he loses fights. People don’t look at Randy Couture – all the greatest champions in UFC history have started to lose fights. Their value remains the same. And I have done what I have done, it will not change. On July 7, I cemented my place in MMA history. So if I lose, I lose. Hey, I’m going to make more money in TV than I’ve ever made fighting.”

On being the greatest ever: “How do you come to a universal conclusion on that argument? Just like, who’s the greatest pound-for-pound fighter ever? You never come to the true answer. And I can’t change that. It’s like the dog chasing his tale. I’d just be spinning in a circle, and I’m not a guy that likes to spin in a circle.”