Daniel Cormier: Jake Paul is 'not as good as we originally thought'
Daniel Cormier thinks Tommy Fury exposed Jake Paul.
Paul (6-1) takes on former UFC star Nate Diaz (0-0) in an eight-round boxing match Aug. 5 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The fight will be at 185 pounds and promoted under the DAZN banner with a live pay-per-view broadcast.
Cormier initially said Paul’s size could pose problems for Diaz. While he’s not ready to predict a Diaz win, the former UFC dual champ wasn’t too impressed with Paul’s most recent loss to Tommy Fury.
“When watching Jake fight against Tommy Fury, he’s not as good as we originally thought,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “DC & RC.” “Because Tommy Fury pretty much limited him to just throwing overhand rights. He didn’t have an answer for Tommy Fury, a guy that’s been boxing for as long as Fury’s been boxing. He just kept trying to hit him with the overhand right.”
Cormier was impressed with Paul’s continued growth as he defeated former MMA champions Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice) and Anderson Silva. Facing an actual boxer in Fury seems to have changed his perception.
“I respected what he was doing because he beat Anderson (Silva) in a boxing match, and what he had did to Tyron and those guys. So, I did think that he was really improving. But I think in watching the Tommy Fury match, it showed me how limited he still is in terms of his boxing development because when that weapon (right hand) was rendered useless. He just kept going to it, and it became more and more evident that it wasn’t going to land. But he didn’t have a plan B.”
Although Diaz has never boxed professionally, Cormier thinks he’s undergone an adequate amount of training to prep for Paul.
“I think that is where I give Nate Diaz the chance,” Cormier said. “Because Diaz has been boxing for a long time. Diaz has done rounds with Andre Ward. Diaz has been around the sport of boxing and fighting for a really long time.”
For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Diaz.