Daniel Cormier: UFC is only MMA organization where 'you reach superstardom'

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier dismisses PFL and other organizations when it comes to their ability to build stars.

A former two-division UFC champion, Cormier believes the octagon is the only stage where a fighter can reach superstardom. The likes of Ben Askren, Michael Chandler, Michael Page, and most recently Kayla Harrison were able to catapult their popularity to the next level after signing with the UFC.

“The NBA does not exist without the best players in the world,” Cormier said on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Ben Askren. “There are 100 leagues around the world, but they never can hold a candle to what the NBA is, so the best come and play here. There’s one place to fight, one place, because guess what? There’s only one place that honestly – not even trying to be a UFC guy, there’s one where you reach superstardom.

“There’s one place where you fight the best in the world, where you maximize your visibility and earnings inside the octagon and outside the octagon. It’s the UFC. Every other organization tries and then eventually it starts to falter. I don’t understand why. The only one who has found success is Scott Coker. He’s the only guy who has found sustained success outside the UFC.”

Harrison is 2-0 in the UFC since parting ways with PFL. Founder Donn Davis accused Harrison of running away from big fights with Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco, and Cormier thinks it’s an attempt from the PFL to use the UFC to promote their own fighters.

“Every year the gap widens, and not even a little bit. It widens by double,” Cormier said. “Every time the PFL uses that Kayla Harrison loss to promote someone on another card, that just tells you that they’re just throwing sh*t at the wall, hoping something sticks.”