The Daniel Cormier Show - DC & Ben Askren on ENDING DC vs. Jon Jones BEEF, Pimblett vs. Gaethje, Topuria IS BACK

I barely have a voice, I’m in a white shirt feeling angelic, and you’re already dragging me back from the dark side. It’s been a couple weeks, and people were actually happy we’re back, even if you still love to rile them up.

Let me put the Nate Diaz thing to bed. I made a fact-based point about his record being average, and that’s it. He fired off a tweet about slapping me, which is fine; I’ve been slapped before. And for the record, that Josh Thomson fight was a towel stoppage after the head kick, not a clean KO.

I had a real moment last week. After seven hard months, my brain finally felt sharp again—like camp when timing suddenly clicks—and I just cried from relief. Then I celebrated by trolling on Twitter from the couch because nothing fuels the bit like a fanbase that bites.

And the one fan who bites most? John Jones. You told me to forgive and forget, but it’s complicated. In person, we’ve even laughed, but it’s not friendship. The rivalry is huge, it pulls attention, and that’s why it keeps coming up even when I say next topic.

On Jones–Pereira, I like Jon at either weight, but 205 forces him to train hard and lean into smart paths like wrestling. It’s great for him, risky for the UFC: if he runs through Alex and then dips, you devalue a champ who can carry cards for years. That’s not selfish unless he promised more and bails. You say leave it better than you found it; I say the UFC runs transactional, so top guys respond in kind.

Quick coaching one. You don’t love cornering because your presence becomes the story, not the kid on the mat. Fair—and it’s hard to mute a big personality at tournaments.

At lightweight, Arman Tsarukyan isn’t getting the title shot. The boss pointed at the headbutt, but it feels like more than that. Ilya Topuria’s dealing with personal stuff, says he’ll be back around April or May, and the UFC seems patient with him.

Arman made mistakes, sure, but he’s been outstanding and has that three-round history with Makhachev. I get why the UFC prefers Paddy’s star power, but it looks like Arman’s being skipped. Fighters still rate him. Paddy says he’d never duck; the promotion can also just not offer the fight. I think Arman beats Paddy and Gaethje, and I’d call Topuria a toss-up. The division’s old and a turnover’s coming.

We’ve got big cards stacked back to back, and yes, Australia is a haul. Before I let you go—Justin or Paddy?

I’m rooting for Justin, but I’ll lean Paddy. He’s improving, even though I thought he lost to Jared Gordon at the time.

About the White House card—does Conor finally fight? It’d be poetic if a turn to faith got him back in the cage. If he does, I get why Chandler should get it after waiting forever, but if you’re the UFC you might think about feeding that spotlight to someone younger who can carry it forward.

You floated Ian Machado Garry. If he beats Conor, does that launch him straight to a title shot? I think it might.

Yes. Relevance matters as much as rankings in who gets next. But the new media deal changes Conor’s math. There’s no pay-per-view cut and, at the White House, no gate to sell—so some of his usual leverage disappears. He still drives enormous gates elsewhere though; he had a pre-sold twenty-million-dollar gate lined up before the Chandler fight fell apart.

All right, clear-minded Ben is back and still annoying in the best way. Catch you on the next one. Peace.