UFC champ Daniel Cormier: 'There's no tension between AKA and Dana'

Daniel Cormier

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier said the exodus of two longtime American Kickboxing Academy fighters to Bellator MMA is, at the end of the day, just business.

“It’s about making money, and I think these guys were getting more money there,” Cormier (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who next faces Alexander Gustafsson (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at UFC 192, recently told MMAjunkie.

Recently, multi-time title challengers Josh Thomson (20-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Josh Koscheck (17-10 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) made very public exits from the industry-leader and are expected to make their promotional debuts in September and December, respectively.

For Koscheck, who now primarily trains out of his own gym in Fresno, Calif., his departure was accompanied by a series of interviews in which he was highly critical of the UFC, comparing being signed to the promotion with being in handcuffs. In particular, he singled out UFC President Dana White, whom he called a “little errand b-tch.”

Thomson, meanwhile, said he looked forward to a “fighter-friendly contract.” He echoed Cormier’s take that his departure was about compensation.

Cormier pointed out that as inflammatory as some of Koscheck’s comments have been since he’s signed with Bellator, they’ve been accompanied by qualifications that undercut their severity.

“If you look at Koscheck’s statements, and he’ll say, ‘I have no beef with the UFC,'” Cormier said. “So it’s kind of weird. It’s almost like he says things and he almost takes them back. I don’t think there’s any issues. I don’t really speak to those guys on their business issues like that.

“I think the majority of it comes down to money and opportunity. But if you think about our gym, a lot of us have a great relationship with the UFC – Cain Velasquez, Luke Rockhold, Khabib Numagomedov – and we’re all at different points of our career.”

Relationships between the UFC and AKA haven’t always been as harmonious. In 2008, White went on the offensive toward the camp after several of its fighters balked at signing a likeness rights agreement for a UFC video game. He said he no longer wanted to work with anyone associated with the camp, save for a few fighters who called him beforehand, and cut onetime title challenger Jon Fitch. After cooler heads prevailed, Fitch was then resigned until he was released by the promotion in 2013.

Since then, by all appearances, White and the super-camp have mended fences. AKA stalwart and ex-heavyweight champ Velasquez was chosen to represent the promotion in an early campaign for its official phone sponsor, MetroPCS. Cormier got the promotion’s blessing as a UFC commentator on FOX, and middleweight Rockhold is a staple on the PR circuit.

When UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones was suspended following a hit-and-run accident, the promotion chose Cormier to face Anthony Johnson in May at UFC 187.

And in an unexpected move, the UFC chose to give Velasquez (13-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) an immediate rematch against Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1 MMA, 8-2 UFC), the man who in June took his title. Rockhold (14-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC), meanwhile, will face current middleweight champ Chris Weidman (13-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) at UFC 194.

Koscheck and Thomson’s careers admittedly are in a different place. Koscheck did the bulk of his competing in the UFC’s octagon and contemplated retirement prior to signing with Bellator, as did Thomson after an unsuccessful title bid this past year against then-champ Benson Henderson. Both, however, have claimed to be reinvigorated by a move.

Cormier is supportive of Koscheck and Thomson as they transition into the next phase of their career.

“For Thomson, I think it’s very easy for him because (Bellator President) Scott Coker is a longtime friend of his and a guy that he’s worked for for a long time and developed a very good relationship, so it fits,” he said. “Koscheck, I think it was time for a change. He had lost a bunch of fights in a row and he needed to refresh, so I think it’s good for those guys. For Josh, it’s a good fit. For Koscheck, I just think he needed a change and it gives him a fresh start – kinda.”

For more on the UFC and Bellator’s upcoming schedules, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.