The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 Rounds w/ Daniel Cormier - Jake Paul signs with PFL, Volkanovski win over Makhachev would be biggest upset in UFC history

Episode Date: January 7, 2023

Daniel Cormier reacts to Jake Paul signing an MMA contract with the PFL and breaks down why he thinks Paul is actually going to fight! Plus DC explains why Alexander Volkanovski beating Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 would be the biggest upset in MMA. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume. What up, guys? Welcome back to Three Rounds with Daniel Cormier. And it's been a bit.

You know, we finished our last show in late December. And it's 2023. So first and foremost, happy new year to everybody. But 2023? That's crazy, right? Time flies. I mean, just a little bit ago, we were in the middle of a pandemic. in 2020 and fast forward

we're three years from the day that the world kind of changed forever. But new year, new me, you know how they say that. Do you think I'm going to be in the gym? I don't know.

Maybe possibly, but I know one thing I'm going to be doing is constantly bringing you guys the content. So now it's time for three round fight and I'm ready to go. So let's fight. Introductions are done. It's time for round number one.

Round one. Let's talk about the great Alexander Volkanowski. You know, I watch him and I watch opinions about Alexander Volcanowski and about what he's trying to do against Islam Makachev. Now, I'm not calling that fight. So there is one time where I can make an opinion, I can make a pick, because on that day, I'm just like everybody else. I don't have to sit there with the commentary so I can give you my thoughts on the fight

as clearly as I want to without holding back. We have rules in place and I'm not here to break him. So when I think about Alexander Volcanowski and the undertaking that is in front of him, I understand how big and how daunting this task can seem to most. but to a high thinker, to a guy that believes with all of himself that he's the best in the world, this to him is just another fight.

But when you look at the way Islam is perceived in the world of mixed martial arts and all that he has done to this point, you didn't start to ask yourself, how big of an upset would this be if Volcanowski gets it done in Perth, Australia? Love Volk. all the respect in the world for him, I don't think he wins a fight. I think Machinchev's going to be a little too big for him and he's going to wrestle him and hold him down. I think that's the problem.

But when we look at it, though, say he does win the fight, how big of an upset is it? Is it Nunez Cyborg? Is it Sarah George St. Pierre? Is it T.J. Dillishol whenever he beat Hennon Bara, because you got to remember who Hennon Bara was thought to be

back when T.J. Dillard. shall fought him the first time. Is it Cona McGregor knocking out Josiah in 14 seconds? I get that Conne McGregor had talked themselves to a point that you believed, but all we had saw what Joseo Aldo do is win. There been a number of upsets

in mixed martial arts. I still to this day believe Julianna Pena's win over Amanda Nunes is probably the biggest upset in mixed martial arts history because of who Amanda was and what she had become to female fighting. And it seemed as

though Amanda was going to be the champion as long as she wanted to hold the belt. In my opinion, Volcanowski wins this fight. It's the biggest. It's bigger than anything we've seen. Because I'm telling you, when you get into the details of this matchup, it seems a very hard match for Volcanowski to win because his skill set is almost catered for a guy like Makachev because of Makachev's ability to stand and also his size. Volkan is a very big guy. Remember, we've spoken

at nauseam about how big he was when he played football or rugby or whatever you guys want to call it over there. But that doesn't matter. He's still shorter. Because he's shorter, it makes for him Machachev to use the leverage against Volcanowski. I believe that this would be the biggest upset in mixed martial arts history. Now, some people will say, I say that because of who Makachev is and our friendship and everything. I'm telling you right now,

watching a guy in Alexander Okunovsky who's the only champion in 2022 to defend this championship, he didn't lose a round. He is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. So some may ask why we would consider an upset, but I think it's all in the matchup and it's also

all in the guy that he's fighting. I know I have a friendship with Makachov, but even if I didn't, you can see who this guy is if you have two eyes. You can see how he matches up against pretty much everyone in the world if you have two eyes. But you can also see why Alexander Volcanozky is who he is. Because what he has done over the course of this last year has been nothing short of amazing. And that is why he is number one pound for pound.

But we always ask the question, what is pound for pound per se? It's nobility and a fighting style that translates weight classes. Volcanovsky has a chance now to go to another weight class and become the champion. Unfortunately, the guy in front of him is the number two powerful fighter in the world, and many believe is number one. I believe, again, biggest subset in mixed martial arts history if Alexander Volcanowski gets it done. It wouldn't surprise the great, though. Guy thinks he's going to win.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits,

the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast,

it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, Follow at Clifford and a TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away,

such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As we get into round number two, let's talk about the Walterweight Division and Matt Brown and his opinions. Guys, I've talked to Matt Brown a lot over the course of my fighting career and knowledge and analyst. And I would have never thought in my life Matt Brown would have such strong opinions. and honestly, a lot of them are fantastic. You think talking heads?

You think Daniel Cormier, H. H. H. H. H. Helson and all these other guys that do commentary and all this other stuff. Matt Brown is good. He's on this show on M.M.A. fighting. Every week is the fighter versus the right or something. And he has these strong opinions from the one that I'm going to speak about now with Balaul Muhammad and Hamzaa Tchamayev to a few weeks ago. He was talking about a couple other things. And I was taking aback. I'm like, when did Matt Brown?

become so sharp in this area. So I guess I'm just kind of giving him his flowers before I get into his thought here. He said, he believes, Balamah Mahomet is the biggest threat to Hamza Chimayev and Kamar al-Uzman. I guess he assumes that Usman beats Edwards in a rematch.

You can't, I mean, obviously, Leon won the first one. But if you look at the fight in the way it was playing out, I guess you can agree with Matt. Right? It's not like he's making some big revelation of an underdog the throne in the champion. We saw that fight was playing out. But I think it's key in the statement that he is the most difficult challenge for Usman and Chameh. This is where me and him, this is where me and Maddie disagree a little bit.

I do believe that Belal Muhammad is a very difficult matchup for, Chamae Van Usman. But I have to point back to watching Bilal Mohammed fight against Leon Edwards. And then that first round, Leon Edwards was piecing him up, kicked him in the head, hurt him, ultimately poked him, and the fight got stopped. It didn't seem like Balaw was going to be able to implement the game plan that we have seen him do so effectively lately. Because Leon Edwards was too sharp a striker. So you ask yourself, how does he match a better?

against these two who people would favor against Leon Edwards, but he doesn't seem like Leon Edwards is an ideal matchup for him. Because if I'm being honest with you watching it as a friend of Belaw, I thought he was going to lose to Leon Edwards after watching that first round. Because Leon Edwards seemed to be one step ahead of him. Now, the Balaw Mohammed that fought Sean Brady looks a lot better. But is he really going to strike with Kamaroumong? Is he really going to strike with Hamzat Chimayev?

Or do we go back to seeing the fighting style that has made him so good? Why he grinds guys out, sets traps. The way he beat Vesente Leuke in the rematch after Luka finished him before showed his evolution. I do believe that he's a lot better. I do believe that he presents a lot of problems for Chimai of. I do believe he presents a lot of problems for Kamar al-Uzman. But I believe he presents problems when he wrestles and he slows the fight down. he can't be ahead for a fighter just trying to strike.

You know, Ballal for a long time was labeled Boren, so people didn't truly tune in because he was a grinder. He would push you up against the side of the fence. He would hold you times running out of the clock. He was frustrated. He was sticky. If he's going to beat these two, he's got to be sticky. But ultimately, it's not about beating those two, Matt Brown. It's about beating the champion.

And I truly believe that if Camaro Oussman is injured, It'll be Belaw Muhammad that has the opportunity to beat the champion. There's a lot of factors in this. And I think it might have been a one-off over in Abu Dhabi, where Habib coach and cornered Belaw Muhammad. But he said if him and Usman fight, Khab's out also, right? Because of the relationship with Uswin, Ali, Khabib, Bilal. They're all together in terms of management.

But the bigger thing is, does Belaw Muhammad beat the champion? because I believe that he may be the guy that standing across from the champion. I have politiced for him. I have said it's Belaw Muhammad if it is not Kamar al-Uzman, and I stand by that. So even though Matt Brown does a fantastic job in what he's doing as we get to 10 seconds, Allah Mohammed needs to be the champ because he may have that opportunity sooner than later. So he better be ready because last time it didn't look great. when the fight started.

Round three. Let's talk about what 2023 can be for us and mixed martial arts fans. Because every year, we start the year and there's like so many things on the horizon, so many hopefuls. And there are a ton of hopefuls in terms of fights. Some scheduled, some not as we get into the UFC calendar this year. and also look at where the UFC is as an organization, opposed to a few years ago, opposed to even last year.

Things look so different. Who in the world would have thought that going into 23, Izzy, Kamaru would not be the champions of the world anymore. One calendar year can flip the world on its axis, as we saw in 2022. So we look forward to the fights that we want to see. And one that jumps out at me right away outside of Volcanowski-Makachev, Sean O'Malley Cheeto Vera. I'd like to see those guys mix it up again.

Because Cheeto seems to have everything in the right order now. Al Jermaine Sterling is the champion there. He's fighting Henry Chahudo. The Bannonweight Division is still the best division in the UFC in terms of parity. From 10 to 1, there is no weight class that's better than the UFC Bannamweight Division. And I think these matchups speak to that. And Gano Jones, that'll be fun. When the champ Yeripurajka finds his way back, I think, no, actually, he won't be back this whole year.

Yer Proshka is gone for a whole another year. So let's see what the light heavyweight division looks like at the end of 2020. A midway, 2003. Seems that though, Zhang Wei is going to break some stability to women's strawweight division. 115 pounds. But trust me, Amanda Limos, Jessica Andrade, if she goes back down. So what they say about that?

And what about Rose Dame Units? Do they put her back in a rematch for the person she's beaten twice? Even though she lost? She has a star power. So maybe. Maybe she gets back in there. Let's talk about middleweight.

When does Izzy rematch Alex Paheda? Because so many in that division feel like Pahed is a champion that they can beat. But if anyone gets their opportunity first, has to be had to sign you. Jake Paul today announced that he has signed with the PFL. You know, a couple weeks ago, Jake Paul and I were messaging each other

about an appearance on my show DC and RC. And we were going back and forth talking and just kind of talking about his future. And honestly, you know, Jake and I've had some run-ins. But when I started talking to him and I'm messaging him, you know, he's a kid that's very respectful. And we had respectful conversations. We really did.

We didn't argue. We didn't fight. He was a kid that he has an idea what he wants to do. Now, these kids today are different, right? They aren't going to, it was like Edassania with Jones, whereas I would kind of hold back. Etisania would just say whatever it is he wanted to say about Jones. If there was an accusation, he would levy the accusation, even if he hadn't proven it true. That is what kids like Jake Paul do today. So he's very boisterous. He's very verbal.

He speaks big. But who's respectful? But will Jake Paul actually fight in the PFL? A lot of boxers say they're going to fight, but they never actually do. Here's the thing about Jake Paul, though. He's from Ohio, wrestling hotbed. Ohio has some of the best high school wrestling in the entire country. We've gone there. We've won there. We've lost quite a bit there with Mike Gilroy Mustangs. Jake Paul was a high school wrestler there. So was his brother, Logan.

They weren't bad. It weren't bad. So although it seems as though Jake Paul does a lot of things to drum up interests, I believe this one he'll actually fight. I saw Dylan Dennis

on Air Hawani show last week. and then pull out of his fight. Guys, it's time to start ignoring him. Let's just make Dylan. Let's take him out to pasture. We cannot keep giving him the spotlight he wants because he will not fight. The Dylan Danes show is officially over, guys.

Tune him out. Dude will never step back in the combat arena. I can't wait to see what 2020 provides. Let's go. And now for my final thought. 2003, every year, guys, A new year brings so much excitement for what's to come. Sure, the sport that we love has started on a bad foot down south.

Multiple different occasions. Things I will not speak about. But just remember, it's the thrill and the agony of the fight. That's why we're all here. We love the fight. There is nothing more pure than a mixed martial arts fight. Two people go in, one leaves happy, one leaves sad. it's beautiful.

In this sport, the UFC will continue to lead us in the right direction. It's an amazing thing. DeMar Hamlin got hurt the other day in that football game. It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. I tried not to watch

because I didn't want to witness that. My 11-year-old son brought me a video had me watch it. The emotion that surrounded that really did bother me. I prayed for that kid's recovery. It seems as though he's heading in the right direction. So man, what a relief for him and his family.

My boy, Ryan Clark, did a tremendous job covering that through his personal experiences on the night of the incident. And I was so proud of him as my brother. But guys, remember, for as bad as things start, these sports will continue to guide us through the year. And through sport is where we all find a lot of our happiness. Guys, keep tapping into my YouTube channel. Telefrienda, tell a friend that DC's got to YouTube.

Listen to this dude talk. 20 minutes a week on three rounds. Until next time, peace. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

It was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.