A day after Rashad Evans had to bow out to injury, Daniel Cormier looked to be without an opponent. Now, it looks like Cormier will in fact stay on the UFC 170 card.
Dana White tweeted out this afternoon that former collegiate wrestling standout and undefeated MMA fighter Patrick Cummins will take on Cormier on just about a weeks notice. This came after a failed bid by Chael Sonnen to get that fight in Las Vegas.
The fight will serve as the co-main event under the bantamweight title bout between Ronda Rousey and Sara McMann.
This is huge news for UFC 170, as the card took a huge hit when Evans was forced to withdraw. Many thought that Cormier would be kept off the card as well, which would have pretty much killed the card as a pay-per-view draw.
Cormier now takes on a skilled wrestler with developed striking in Cummins. This is not a guy you want to sleep on, as he is considered by many to be one of the top prospects at 205 pounds.
Sherdog has Cummins listed as 4-0 in his MMA career, and trains with Reign and Kings MMA in California. There, he has put together some solid striking skills to back up his grappling credentials.
He has yet to go to decision as well. He owns two submission wins via arm-triangle choke and guillotine choke, as well as two victories by TKO.
This is a huge step up for him, though. Cormier is an Olympic-level wrestler with more experience and higher competition level. Cormier has also kept busy in comparison to Cummings, who has fought just twice in 2013.
The pay-per-view buyrate will likely still take a hit in Evans’ absence, but Cormier’s inclusion in the card should be able to salvage a few of the people who were put off.
Stay tuned for more news on UFC 170.
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