The light heavyweight division has never looked more vicious on the surface. Knockouts happen quickly, and nearly every contender possesses one-shot KO power. Yet, amid the chaos, there is a gaping hole staring us in the face. That imbalance is what Daniel Cormier couldn’t ignore.

‘DC’ didn’t sound nostalgic or bitter; instead, he sounded analytical when he imagined if his prime dropped in today’s 205-pound scenario. And as expected, the conclusion came naturally: there would be no stopping the former UFC double champion.

Daniel Cormier sees a wrestling vacuum at 205

Daniel Cormier didn’t mince his words. In his opinion, the distinguishing feature of his era is precisely what the current one lacks. “If I was at my prime in light heavyweight right now, there’s no wrestlers. I’d be just feasting on everybody,” he said before detailing how different the division used to look.

Back then, every title run involved many wrestling threats—himself, Jon Jones, Rashad Evans, Phil Davis, and Ryan Bader. Surviving meant solving grappling problems every night. On the other hand, today’s top names thrive on the feet. Jiří Procházka‘s chaos relies on timing and instincts. Alex Pereira‘s supremacy is based on the fear of the left hook.

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Khalil Rountree and Carlos Ulberg are striking-first specialists. Regardless of his sambo background, Magomed Ankalaev prefers control at range over suffocating top pressure. Daniel Cormier didn’t dismiss skill. He was pointing to leverage. In his prime, wrestling was more than just a backup plan; it was the driving force.

Compared to today’s roster, he observes fewer fighters ready to force long-term grappling exchanges, fewer chains, and even fewer instances when control outweighs damage. That is also why Alex Pereira came up in the conversation, not as a stylistic threat, but as a business fight. “I’d fight probably Pereira because he’s the biggest star, and you want to make the most money as a champion,” Cormier said.

The irony is that Alex Pereira’s rise may be facilitated by the same gap Cormier mentions. When wrestling no longer poses a constant threat, striking brilliance becomes harder to check. This in no way diminishes today’s champions. It just marks a departure from the past. And it isn’t just the light heavyweight division, as ‘DC’ can even take on some top 5 heavyweights without training right now.

Cormier names Jailton Almeida as the safest pick

The same reasoning applies to heavyweight. Daniel Cormier believes that the safest matchup is one based on familiarity rather than avoiding danger. When asked who he’d fight today, he immediately replied, “Jailton Almeida.” Not because Almeida is weak, but because the bout takes place exclusively in a space that ‘DC’ understands better than almost anyone else.

“All we’d be doing is wrestling,” Cormier explained at the UFC 322 weigh-in show. “It’s very safe.” There was a clear message beneath the joke. Almeida’s game is built around takedowns and control, the same foundation the former UFC champion used to dominate at heavyweight. Almeida’s recent defeat to Alexander Volkov only reinforces this idea.

He dominated for long stretches but struggled to convert wrestling into damage. Daniel Cormier sees that style of fight as familiar rather than intimidating. And that’s really the point of his comments: when divisions lack multifaceted wrestling threats, even a retired great can see how the pieces fit together.