Daniel Cormier talks Derrick Lewis and Louisiana sports fandom
Daniel Cormier speaks to reporters during UFC 230 open workouts on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, at Madison Square Garden. Credit: Newsday / Mark La Monica
Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis both are from Louisiana. They both call the Houston Rockets their favorite NBA team. They both will be in the octagon at the same time on Saturday night when Cormier defends his heavyweight title against Lewis at UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden.
But when it comes pro football, the similarities appear to end there. Lewis, from New Orleans, moved to Houston when he was 16 and often wears a Texans jersey. Cormier, who now lives in the Bay Area, still favors his hometown Saints.
“I was told today Derrick said that he left New Orleans at 15 or something, and when he left, he left the Saints,” Cormier said at Wednesday’s UFC 230 open workouts. “So he doesn’t care for the Saints, so he gets a little bit extra for that on Saturday night.”
Who dat, who dat, who dat say they gonna beat that Cormier?
Cormier is one of the few MMA fighters who regularly talks about other sports and the teams he roots for, including his alma mater, Oklahoma State.
Asked who the state of Louisiana would be rooting for on Saturday night inside the octagon, Cormier naturally assumed it would be him, the two-time Olympic wrestler from Lafayette. But he didn’t stop there. Cormier broadened the Louisiana effect on several sports.
“Louisiana loves Daniel Cormier. The state is ready to explode,” Cormier said. “On Saturday night, right before I enter the octagon, LSU will complete their rise, improbable, under the great Ed Orgeron, and beat Alabama and become No. 1 in the rankings. Then I will come here and defend my heavyweight title. Then on Sunday, the Saints will beat the Rams and become the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Big Louisiana weekend, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
Alabama (8-0) has been ranked No. 1 in the polls all season and has beaten teams by an average of 38 points per game. LSU (7-1) was ranked No. 3 in the first College Football Playoff rankings released this week. LSU hosts the game at 8 p.m. on CBS. It should conclude before Cormier makes his walk to the octagon for his first heavyweight title defense.
Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.
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