Misha Cirkunov may very well one day be in line to challenge for the title which will be contested by Daniel Cormier and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson next weekend.
And while the promising light heavyweight Cirkunov expects the fight to be as competitive as they come, he does believe that “DC” ultimately holds the upper hand (via MMAFighting):
“The first fight, I picked Daniel Cormier to win. But in a rematch, it’s going to be very, very interesting,” Cirkunov said recently on The MMA Hour. “I think, if anything, this is the best chance for Anthony Johnson to become a belt-holder, because he’s already seen what he needs to do and he’s seen the gameplan, and hopefully he can stick to the gameplan and it’ll be a good night for Anthony Johnson. But again, Daniel Cormier showed how it could be done, right? So it’s going to be a very interesting fight. If I have to pick a winner, I’m going to go with, probably, still Daniel Cormier just based on wrestling, but it’s going to be a closer fight this time.”
Cirkunov still has plenty of work to do before he can realistically lay claim to fighting at the level of Cormier and Johnson, but this has not stopped Anthony “Rumble” Johnson from identifying Cirkunov out as “the one guy” who is “definitely somebody you’ve got to watch out for.”
The light heavyweight is currently riding a 4-0 UFC run in what many, including champion Daniel Cormier, deem to be one of the weakest divisions. Despite this, he is seen as a genuine hot prospect, despite his weight. Cirkunov will look to prove that the hype is real when he faces #8 ranked Volkan Oezdemir next at UFC Fight Night: Stockholm on May 28.
