Ilir Latifi Explains Daniel Cormier Callout: ‘It Doesn’t Matter if It’s Heavyweight or Light Heavyweight’

The UFC’s light heavyweight division is badly in need of some fresh contenders, and Ilir Latifi is well on his way to filling that void.

“The Sledgehammer” won for the fifth time in his last six Octagon appearances at UFC on Fox 28, submitting Ovince St. Preux with a guillotine choke in their featured encounter at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday night.

“I’m very satisfied, “Latifi said on Fox Sports 1. “I finished him in the first round. I was hitting him good with the strikes. The submission came natural, so I went for the finish. What can I say?”

To sum up the current state of the division, 36-year-old Mauricio Rua’s three straight wins are currently the longest active streak at 205 pounds. Jon Jones remains in flux until his latest USADA anti-doping case is resolved. And reigning champion Daniel Cormier is moving up to heavyweight to challenge titlist Stipe Miocic for his belt at UFC 226 in July.

That didn’t prevent Latifi from setting his sights on the biggest game in the division in his post-fight interview, as he called for a fight with Cormier at either heavyweight or light heavyweight. And if you though the 34-year-old Swede was simply caught up in the heat of the moment, he doubled down on his request in a later interview on FS1.

Latifi also might have unintentionally offered a prediction of the upcoming Cormier-Miocic showdown.

“Right now I’m thinking I would like to fight DC. It doesn’t matter if it’s light heavyweight or heavyweight – for both titles,” Latifi said. “He never fought a wrestler that can hit like me. I have tremendous respect for DC-- it’s not about that. He’s a legend.

“But I think we could put on a fight that the fans want to see. Two short, stocky wrestlers putting it on. So, let’s do it.”