Before claiming a boxing world title, a heavyweight champion ventured into MMA, where he was ultimately defeated by Daniel Cormier.
The retired fighter has since shared his thoughts on facing one of the greatest of all time.
Browne Reflects on Cormier’s Dominance: ‘He Completely Dominated Me with Wrestling
Lucas Browne reached the pinnacle of his boxing career when he travelled over to Chechnya, Russia. This was when he knocked out Ruslan Cagaev to claim the WBA Heavyweight title.
Before fully committing to the “sweet science,” the Australian explored life inside the cage, compiling a perfect 5-0 record before facing Daniel Cormier. On July 31st, at XMMA 2: ANZ vs. USA in Sydney, Browne got a first-hand look at how challenging the grappling side of MMA can be.
Using his wrestling expertise, Cormier took Lucas Browne to the mat and finished the fight in the first round. When asked by David “White Rhino” Allen if Cormier was the best fighter he ever faced, Browne replied by saying;
“Without a doubt, from a wrestling perspective, yes. Originally, I was scheduled to fight his gym mate, a 6ft4 stand-up fighter, but he pulled out three days before, and they put Cormier in instead.”
“Rather than backing out, I said, ‘Why not?’ I had already sold all the tickets and tables, and it was still for a title. The fact that he’s a two-time Olympic wrestler made a huge difference. He really showed me how superior his wrestling game was.””
Reflecting on the fight, Lucas Browne said;
“We were both throwing punches, but he caught me across the eyebrow, and I ended up needing 13 stitches. I couldn’t see what was happening, and he kept landing shots. The referee stopped it, and I was thankful for that.”
When discussing Daniel Cormier’s boxing skills, Browne added;
“I threw a jab, and he didn’t even see it coming. From that moment, he took me straight down. He knew his strengths. Me being taller and having a longer reach wasn’t going to work for him, so he just kept taking me down.”
“I’m a big, strong guy, but his wrestling technique is in a different league. He completely dominated me with it.”
Lucas Browne Reveals the Hardest Puncher He’s Faced—It’s Not Cormier, Whyte, or Fury
Although Lucas Browne has squared off with Daniel Cormier in the cage, Dillian Whyte in the ring, and Tyson Fury in the gym, none of these fighters are the hardest punchers he has encountered.
On one occasion, the powerful Australian shared the ring with an MMA icon, and he has since revealed that this individual hit him with far more force than anyone else.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
