Daniel Cormier’s presence will be felt in UFC heavyweight assemblage sooner rather than later and that’s something the rest of that weight class should sincerely worry about.
The soon to be ex-Strikeforce heavyweight, is one, maybe two fights away from crashing the party of one of the most weak divisions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The first stop for “DC,” however, is Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett at the Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix Finale.
It’s not a question of if he gets past that hurdle, but a question of when. When that happens, a possible one-time defense of the title looms—the MMA rumor mill has it, that it could be the once great Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko.
Though, regardless who it is, it will make no difference—Cormier is heading straight to the UFC with a baptism by fire awaiting whomsoever stands in his way .
Preceding his MMA coming out party, the handle “Daniel Cormier” was a name only the hardcore fans had heard about. Prior to that, he was only thought as a prospect of sorts.
In his eighth fight for the promotion, he took on the weary but still dangerous Jeff “The Snowman” Monson, after his original opponent withdrew following a car accident.
Cormier won the match via unanimous decision, executing impressive striking to ward off the submission specialist.
Still, no joy with regards to the recognition he so rightly deserved.
That, however, soon all changed, when he stepped in to replace Alistair Overeem in the semifinals of Strikeforce GP.
His opponent, the gigantean Antonio Silva had but seven months earlier put a supreme clinic on Fedor, automatically knocking him out of the quarterfinals of the tourney.
Cormier wasn’t given much of chance, but proved a lot of people wrong. Exhibiting confidence and wit, he used his standup game to derail the favourite via first-round KO, whilst at the same time sending a message of intent to the rest of the MMA heavyweights.
The message was loud and clear: Daniel “DC” Cormier had arrived and he’s a force to be reckoned with.
The once unknown nonentity was forthwith thrust into the media’s spotlight and soon everyone was taking notice.
The 2008 Olympic wrestling team captain who never made it to the games due to kidney failure is near enough a supreme athlete—NCAA Division I credentials, kickboxing pedigree and the striking ability to hang with the best the heavyweight division has to offer.
Add to the equation his affiliation with AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) and the likes of head grappling coach and Guerilla jiu-jitsu expert Dave Camarillo alongside him, then Cormier’s progression is endless.
DC is 9-0 (four stoppages, three submissions and two unanimous decisions) in his relatively short mixed martial arts career, expect him to get into double figures by the time he arrives at the UFC headquarters.
At present he’s ranked No. 10 by Sherdog and No. 6 by MMAFighting, though he should be in the top five by the year’s end, having taken a UFC scalp or two along the way.
The top two heavyweights of the UFC, Junior dos Santos and Overeem, will have their hands full if they ever lock horns with the 32-year-old Cormier.
DC is for real and he’s a threat to each and every big man currently residing in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
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