Daniel Cormier: Josh Hokit vs. Gable Steveson in future will be 'f*cking cinema'

Daniel Cormier is already thinking about a potentially massive all-American showdown in the heavyweight division – and maybe even for UFC gold.

Although the heavyweight division has gone through hard times in recent years, former champion and UFC Hall of Famer Cormier is beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel courtesy of two fresh faces.

Josh Hokit (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has burst onto the scene and quickly become a top-five ranked fighter in the division within three octagon appearances. He solidified himself with a Fight of the Year frontrunner win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 this month, and his rapid trajectory will be a story to follow as he enters a quick turnaround vs. Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14.

Then at UFC 329 on July 11, the highly anticipated octagon debut of Gable Steveson (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will go down when the Olympic gold medalist joins the heavyweight division against an opponent yet to be determined. Steveson's debut will be one of the most hyped in recent UFC history, and Cormier is already seeing a potential clash down the line.

"Gable Steveson's tremendous," Cormier told MMA Junkie and other reporters on Thursday during a media availability to promote his coaching stint on "The Ultimate Fighter 34" reality show. "He's an Olympic gold medalist. NCAA champion. His ceiling is world champion. His talent, his ability, his mindset – he can do it all. I'm interested to see how quickly he rises. I think when you have a skillset like that it happens fast. That's what we're seeing right now with Josh Hokit. Josh Hokit fought two fights and then he beat the No. 4 guy in the world in Curtis Blaydes. Now he's one of the top five heavyweights in the world. I imagine Gable Steveson's path will be something similar to that. Fight a couple guys, get somebody better.

"We've been dying for the America wrestler in the heavier weight classes since a lot of us retired recently. Now we have them. Hokit's an All-American. Steveson's a champion. What a storyline that would be. Could you imagine Gable Steveson, the All-American world champion, then Josh Hokit, the bad guy, fighting for a UFC title? That would be f*cking cinema. It would be cinema."

Cormier is already sold on what Hokit, 28, is capable of doing, and from all indications, Steveson, 25, is as legit as it gets.

Hokit's fighting skill is something that has turned heads, but his gimmick has been far more polarizing. Cormier backs that approach, too, though, because it's getting him traction.