Daniel Cormier may be retired, but that doesn't mean he won't weigh in on his former rivals. The latest is Fedor Emelianenko, who competed in Strikeforce alongside Cormier.

Fedor Emelianenko was someone people wanted to see join the UFC as he was largely considered the Great Heavyweight of all time. The move never ended up happening despite the UFC taking over both Strikeforce and Pride.

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“We’re talking a window of 2009-11,” Daniel Cormier said on his show Debate DC. “(That’s) where the UFC dealt with Fedor or at least tried to make something happen. The UFC was interested for a long time until he went to Bellator, and then obviously he’s off-limits. But all the time, Fedor kind of flew around, fighting in organizations, things can still be done.

“Versus Brock Lesnar, I’ll give you that,” Daniel Cormier continued. “I think he beats Brock Lesnar. But outside of that, I don’t think Fedor competes very well in the UFC. I think that, honestly, Fedor not going to the UFC allowed for the intrigue to stay, but the reality of the situation is he would not have done well against those guys like JDS (Junior dos Santos), he wasn’t beating Cain Velasquez, he would have struggled with guys like Cheick Kongo. He was not beating those guys that were at the top of the UFC at that time. I’m certain of it.

“I know you’re gonna say, ‘ Well he beat this guy, he beat (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira and he beat Frank Mir.’ For as great as he is, he would have been, at that time in the sport, average at best. I’m telling you. Fedor Emelianenko in the UFC between 2009-11, average at best.”

It's certainly an unpopular opinion from Daniel Cormier on Fedor Emelianenko who is largely seen as the GOAT of heavyweight. He had a tough time in Strikeforce but was an unstoppable force during his run in Pride.