Daniel Cormier finds it hard to re-engage in Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev's rivalry.
Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) and Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) made things personal heading into their middleweight title fight at UFC 328, where extra security was present during fight week. Strickland upset Chimaev to claim the belt, and Chimaev even put the belt on his rival's shoulder.
In his post-fight interview, Strickland apologized for the comments he made in the build-up. However, the pair are at it again as Chimaev angles for a rematch – but Cormier is no longer buying the heat.
"They talked about killing each other and all this stuff, and then that was buried," Cormier said on his YouTube channel. "I thought to myself, 'OK, this thing's over'
because you cannot sell a rematch or any type of rivalry between these two because you almost pulled the curtain back."
Nassourdine Imavov claims he's definitely the No. 1 contender, but Strickland has now started to entertain the idea of a rematch with Chimaev.
"Generally, guys, we would all jump on this," Cormier said. "Oh, bad blood between these two, and we know bad blood between these two equates to a really good fight. And honestly, the fight wasn't bad. Sean Strickland pretty much controlled the fight with his jab, and Sean fought a great fight that night. Khamzat never got started, but we'd be like, 'Oh my goodness, they're at it again. Two dudes that hate each other are going to fight again,' – if we did not get that moment in Newark – a moment we didn't really need. It was unnecessary.
"You don't have to bury the hatchet, especially when the guy you beat for the belt is so dominant against everyone else that there's a really strong chance that he'll work his way back to a championship opportunity. ... When (Strickland) tells you that it's not real, 'I was selling a fight,' you believe him. He does not sugarcoat anything and that's why people love him. I would watch those two fight every day of the week because I love the fight within the fight. To the general fan, how do we get them to believe it, when the ultimate truth speaker in our league has told us he doesn't really hate him as much as it may seem?"
If the UFC decides to have Strickland Chimaev run things back, Cormier won't be as invested in their trash talk.
"They're not going to be able to sell it on a blood feud like they did last time," Cormier said.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Daniel Cormier: Strickland, Chimaev can't trash talk after burying the hatchet
