After Chael Sonnen’s firing in the summer, the UFC had a spot to fill on the UFC Tonight desk alongside of Kenny Florian. Fox and the UFC used various fighters in the role, and they kept coming back to the same guy – Daniel Cormier. Fox made it official on Monday – Cormier would be the new full-time co-host of the studio show.
Cormier is an interesting figure in the MMA landscape. Not only is he an undefeated fighter in his pro career and the top contender for Jon Jones’ light heavyweight title, he’s also a former US Olympian and NCAA national runner-up at Oklahoma State. In other words, he’s not only an awesome fighter, he’s a legitimate athlete too – that’ll help to further mute the “they’re not real athletes, just bar fighters!” stigma.
And for what it’s worth, Cormier is also a pretty good analyst too. The transition from competitor to commentator isn’t an easy one, and Cormier is somehow managing to juggle the two roles at the same time without losing focus on either job. Going with Cormier, who has much less baggage than Sonnen, in the full-time role was the best course of action for everyone involved.
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