Daniel Cormier Finds Timing of Topuria’s Coaching Change “Odd”
In a new video posted on his YouTube channel,. Daniel Cormier said he’s unsure how much the coaching change will impact Ilia Topuria ahead of UFC 317 (via MMAMania.com).
“Ilia Topuria wants to fight Islam but needs to get through Charles Oliveira first, especially when we are hearing that he and his team are kind of going in separate directions,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Just because of the schedule, they said it’s no bad blood. I really don’t know how, at this point, a month before what will be your opportunity to win a second title, how much effect that will have on Team Topuria.”
Cormier went on to say he’s unsure about the timing of Topuria switching things up in his camp so drastically.
“A lot of times we see athletes switch teams as they get down later into the career — this man is still in the heart of his career,” Cormier said. “So there is something to the idea that we have grown so much that we can’t come together and collaborate on what is going to be one of the biggest moments of his entire fight career, especially knowing those guys have trained him since he was like 15 years old. To me, that’s a little bit odd, but it is what it is.”
Jorge Climent, now Topuria’s former coach, told “Submission Radio” that “El Matador” went to live in Madrid and he has his own gym. Climent said Topuria wants all of the “energy” to be on him for his fight camps going forward.
