UFC 192: Daniel Cormier says he has mental edge over Alexander Gustafsson after 'Mauler's' knockout loss

Mixed martial arts (MMA) -- or any other combat sport, for that matter -- is as much mental as it is physical.

And Daniel Cormier seems to think he has a distinct mental advantage over Alexander Gustafsson, the man he'll defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight title against at UFC 192 on Oct. 3, 2015 in Houston, Texas.

More on that fight here.

Especially after hearing that "The Mauler" revealed he almost called it quits after getting brutally knocked out by Anthony Johnson in his last outing.

Check out "DC's" words to MMA Junkie:

"Being the way that he lost to Anthony (Johnson) kind of made it surprising that I was fighting him. But for me, if there was a guy, I'd prefer it be a guy who just experienced what he did in the octagon last time he was there, because not only did he get destroyed, he publicly said he was thinking about stopping fighting and pursuing something different."

He continues:

"You've got to be all-in on this sport; you can't be one foot out the door. For me, my confidence is very high after hearing him saying those things. You don't quit after you get beat. You pick yourself up and you start rebuilding to accomplish your goals. Hearing that, it gives me more confidence in knowing that if Alex didn't have to fight any more, he'd be OK with it. That's not how I am. I need to fight. Anybody fighting right now that's thinking about the other side, you do hold a little bit of an advantage. I'm not saying it's an advantage to win the fight going out, but going into your training sessions, you don't have your eyes on what's next. You're still focusing in the moment. He had to get refocused and think about doing this again. He thought about quitting, and at the end of the day, that's not good when you're fighting."

Gustafsson perhaps received a big mental boost after he surprisingly earned a title shot coming off his aforementioned loss to Johnson.

Much to the chagrin of this man.

Nevertheless, Gus will have to have his mental game up to par when he heads to "H-Town" because a loss to Cormier -- his second straight -- could mean he won't be receiving another shot at the strap for a very long time.

Then again...