- Joined
- May 14, 2017
- Messages
- 3,640
- Reaction score
- 6,586
Cory says that he considered the offer, but would like to have a 5 round fight, seeing that Umar maybe doesn't have that cardio in him:
“That is what I asked for, as I feel like I’m a five-round fighter, I do better in five-round fights. And I was actually right now to schedule for a potential fight, that I'm like eyeballing just because
I'm playing with ideas. I'm like, man, if this is a 3 rounder the camp is gonna be a lot easier. The level of physical "getting beat up"-ness is gonna be less. I wouldn't need to do 7 - 8 rounds
of sparring because that would just mess up the pace in which I would fight. But yeah, he was definitely breathing hard, he definitely showed a vulnerability and that is not something you
want to do. But, I also think he fought at a pretty high pace in that fight."
"Who knows, maybe they could make us like a co-main event on international fight week and then make it 5 rounds. They can do that now so. And I don't know that I should go to the other
side of the world in order to fight? Like, I'm giving him a shot. That's what it feels like anyways. I am the guy giving him a platform to show that he deserves to fight for the belt next. And uh,
you know, I don't really love the idea of going halfway across the world so he can get that advantage. So that will be something I kind of try to not make happen."
However, he says that nothing is ever a deal breaker in his mind. So he could have a 3 round fight and in the middle east with the right circumstances:
"I do really well in 5 round fights, I'm experienced in those. I know what it's like to have to be that focused for 25 minutes. But a 3 round fight is not a big deal either, if anything I feel like I could
push the pace even more and against a guy like Umar, with the way he was breathing after his last fight, it will make everything he has to do in order to win a fight more challenging. I've already
done 10 weeks of a camp for him before he pulled out so I do understand that the style he presents is a tricky one. If you go in there thinking you're gonna fight like against a normal guy, then
you're gonna lose. So if you give me another 12 or 13 weeks now on top of that, to just get ready for him and the unique style, I'm going to figure it all out. As I feel like I was on the verge of
doing it last time."