UFC: Daniel Cormier says ‘sky’s the limit’ for Hong Kong MMA fighter Sasha Palatnikov
- Former UFC two-weight champ admits he was impressed watching Palatnikov’s third-round TKO of Louis Cosce from cageside
- ‘Sasha truly made a splash in his debut, once you shore up those holes, there’s no limit to what he can do,’ says Cormier
UFC legend Daniel Cormier was front and centre when Sasha Palatnikov made history as the first Hong Kong-born fighter in the Octagon.
The 31-year-old Palatnikov (6-2) battled to an impressive third-round TKO against previously-undefeated American prospect Louis Cosce (7-1) on the opening prelim bout at UFC 255 in November.
“The White Lotus” also picked up a US$50,000 bonus for his part in the Fight of the Night. The bout even finished 10th in the UFC’s 2020 Fight of the Night power rankings – and certainly caught the eye of former light heavyweight and heavyweight champ “DC”, who was commentating on the ESPN broadcast as an analyst.
“I thought he did well, I mean, he was a massive underdog going into that fight,” the retired 41-year-old Cormier told SCMP MMA. “And it seemed like the match-up was all wrong for him, right?
“A wrestler, a guy that wants to push an insane pace, Sasha taking the fight on short notice – it just seemed like all the things were in place for him to be unsuccessful.
“But not only did he win the fight, he did it in impressive fashion. He was able to secure the bonus, get the finish and truly make a splash in his UFC debut.”
UFC rise of Hong Kong’s Palatnikov brings light to dark year
After a quick Christmas break with his fiancée in France, the 31-year-old Palatnikov is heading back to Vegas and Syndicate MMA to keep working on his game.
“The sky’s the limit for a guy like that,” Cormier added.
“Obviously when you’re younger and you’re just getting started there are holes, but once you shore up those holes there’s no limit to what he can do.”
