Undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier knows a thing or two about fighting. A two-time Olympian who not only competed for the United States wrestling team in the 2004 games, but was also the team captain in the 2008 games, Cormier also knows what's it like to be subjected to random blood and urine testing conducted by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Currently training for the biggest fight of his career, a September 10 showdown with Antonio "BigFoot" Silva in the semi-finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, mixed martial artist Cormier took time out of his busy schedule to share his thoughts on the biggest fight in boxing and the hurdle preventing it from happening.
ON ARUM NOT WANTING USADA TO HANDLE PACQUIAO DRUG TESTING:
"To me, Bob Arum's statements about USADA make no sense unless they are worried about something. Why would they [USADA] try to make it look like Manny Pacquiao is on PEDs if he isn't? USADA has no stake in Floyd Mayweather Jr. USADA doesn't care if Floyd Mayweather would lose a fight. I don't think there is an issue of bias at all and it makes no sense at all. When we wrestled in the Olympic Games, everybody was tested under USADA and no one has ever complained if the testing was reputable or not. I have never heard of a guy who is allowed to make money, compete, or gain citizenship in the United States complain about our testing or doping system. That has to be some of the weirdest stuff I have heard in a long time (laughing)."
ON HOW RACE IS PLAYING A PART IN THIS FIGHT:
"I was talking to my friend the other day, Luke Rockhold, and that fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao has become so racially driven and motivated that it's ridiculous. Luke goes, 'Why does it seem like every one of my black friends think Floyd is going to win, but everybody else thinks Manny is gonna win?' I said, 'I don't know, but I think it's actually become that because Floyd has just became that dude to people.' Floyd is arrogant and cocky and I think a lot of the time, the perception of him overrides what really matters and that is that he is just that good of a boxer. It doesn't matter if you dislike a person based on their personality or the way that they are, you have to respect their skill level. Floyd Mayweather has never lost. Manny Pacquiao has looked phenomenal lately, but if you look at Floyd Mayweather after taking a year off or two years off, he always looks the same. If you look at Manny Pacquiao's last few fights, he hasn't looked that good. I don't know if it's because of the singing or the political stuff; maybe he is spreading himself too thin. I don't know what happened, but he hasn't looked as good as he has before in previous fights. In the Clottey fight, he wouldn't let his hands go. Against Margarito, it looked like he let off of the gas pedal. And I think Shane would have looked better against him if he would have fought. He wouldn't fight. Shane just wouldn't fight, man (laughing). But no matter how long Floyd takes off, Floyd is gonna be Floyd every single time he fights. We're talking about a guy that has pretty much pitched shutouts almost every single time he fights. People just dislike him and it's becoming so racially charged and it's funny because they will let race play a part in their reasoning before they let nationality. Floyd is an American fighter and you would think he was the Filipino fighter when you speak to some of these fans. Not only am I looking at Floyd because he's just that good, but every now and again there comes a person that just figures out their sport. Michael Jordan figured out his sport and then we have Anderson [Silva]. Those guys just figured out their sport and they are just really good at it and they win at every level. That's how I feel about Floyd Mayweather in boxing. He knows the ins and outs so well that nobody could figure out how to beat him. His family started it and ran it all the way down to him and they are all in great shape, so you never question if Floyd is doing anything illegal. His body never changes. And that's not to say that Pacquiao is on something, but it's so much easier...if this is the fight that you guys [Team Pacquiao] really want, say, 'Okay, we're not cheating. Let's go ahead and take the test and get this fight on.' I think now it's become, 'Well, you won't do this, so we won't do this for you.' Honestly, I truly feel like it's a situation that was blown on Bob Arum's part. Pacquiao is his cash cow. He can fight anybody and make money, but if he goes and fights Floyd and loses, some of that mystique, I mean, that changes a lot of things."
ON THE NFL CONSIDERING TESTING FOR PEDs:
"I think it's great and I hope not only boxing picks it up, but mixed martial arts. I definitely think MMA should have more stringent testing. I know it's expensive, as Andre Ward told you guys on FightHype because he wanted to do it for his fight with Carl Froch, but I think a big organization could pay. Hand-to-hand combat is where you get hurt, so you should be playing on an even field. Let the work that you do in the gym carry into the cage or into the boxing ring; not some artificial strength or something that allows you to train longer or harder. Do it with the gifts that you have from God. If you're hurt during training, you have to take a day off, but that stuff allows you to deal with more and that's why guys are advancing at such a high rate. If you're doing PEDs and all of that stuff, your body just doesn't break down. When you go train all week, come Sunday, you feel terrible because it's just natural for your body to break down after training so hard for so long."
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]