The Free Roll Review: Kurt Pellegrino & Daniel Cormier

MMAMadness Radio's The Free Roll hosted UFC 101 Winner Kurt Pellegrino and MMA Blue Chip Prospect, Daniel Cormier.

Written by Cameron Gidari

Following his loss at UFC 101, Josh Neer was not happy with opponent Kurt Pellegrino or the referee.

Neer accused the ref of preferential treatment for Pellegrino, since the two were from the same home town, and criticized Pellegrino for using a ground-and-pound style that was not exciting.

Pellegrino responded, and reiterated his stance on the Free Roll Radio Program.

“I don’t think it’s really Josh’s fault, I don’t think he’s a smart guy,” Pellegrino told the show. “If I wasn’t doing anything, his face wouldn’t have looked like meatloaf after the fight.”

As Pellegrino has matured in the sport, he has learned that following a game plan is essential to success. That wasn’t always the case.

“I was a fighter that would walk into the cage with a game plan about a year ago, and the moment that cage door shut my game plan went right out the window,” Pellegrino said. “A year ago, Josh Neer might have beaten me.”

Pellegrino credits Keith and Kenny Florian for crafting a successful game plan and for instilling the need for strategy in his fighting style.

“I needed to be coached, I needed a game plan,” Pellegrino said. “Give me something to do in there, I’ll never be beat. My coach wants me to do something, I’m going to do it. I’m not going to disrespect him by going off and doing something else. I don’t want to be yelled at after.”

Much like Pellegrino, former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier will be relying on coaches to help improve his game.

Cormier, who announced earlier this week that he was joining American Kickboxing Academy to pursue an MMA career, is excited to start improving his skills outside of wrestling.

“Right now I’m pretty green, so I’m like a kid in a candy store,” Cormier said. “Anytime I get someone showing me stuff, it’s amazing to see so many things that go into every time these guys step into the octagon.”

“I love the idea of doing something new,” Cormier added. “I’ve been wrestling since I was ten years old, so for 20 years I wrestled. After you get to a certain level, you get better, but it’s really little small tweaks. But in Jiu Jitsu, and in kickboxing, and in boxing, and in grappling and everything else, it’s just so new I’m like a kid again.”

“Every time I learn to throw a punch correctly, it’s like I’m elated,” Cormier said. “It’s insane, I can’t explain the feeling.”

This open-minded approach is something that will serve Cormier well. The top ranked U.S. wrestler for seven years straight, Cormier is going about his training with the attitude of a rookie.

“The guys at AKA were just so warm and so welcoming to me that it made it feel like home,” Cormier said. “Even though I am a rookie, I have that ace in the hole. If I start to feel uncomfortable, I can take the guy down.”

Cormier also sees his relationship with AKA as a two-way street. He can glean Jiu Jitsu and boxing techniques from some of the best fighters in the world, and the rest of the gym benefits from having an Olympic-caliber wrestler to learn from.

“I’ve been coaching for the last seven years,” Cormier said. “There’s only a few guys in the sport that have done the things that I have done in wrestling. You’re going to get a different level of technique, a different level of skill, and I think I can provide that.”

Cormier is also offering his fans a chance to help picking his nickname. Fans can friend him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/cormier2009.

The Free Roll airs every Saturday at 4 PM ET, and is hosted by MMAMadness.com Associate Editor Cameron Gidari and renowned MMA trainer Keith Florian. Listen live at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmamadnessradio, or download previous episodes to hear everything we couldn’t fit in the recap. To make sure you never miss an episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching MMAMadness.

To reach Cameron Gidari with questions or comments, email him at cgidari@mmamadness.com.