So where does Daniel Cormier stand in the UFC light heavyweight division after the events of UFC 170?
One view is that Cormier hasn’t done much within the divisional scheme of things. After all, no one’s ever called Patrick Cummins a stepping stone to a title shot.
On the other hand, Cormier brought with him an impeccable resume from the heavyweight division: An undefeated record, a Strikeforce heavyweight tournament championship, and wins over the likes of Antonio Silva, Josh Barnett, and Frank Mir.
It should come as no surprise that Cormier himself is in the latter camp. The American Kickboxing Academy fighter told Ariel Helwani on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight that he expects, at worst, a No. 1 contender’s fight in his next bout.
Much depends on what happens in the March 8 bout in London between Alexander Gustafsson and Jimi Manuwa. If Gustafsson defeats Manuwa, as most expect, then the UFC is expected to pair Gustafsson in a rematch with champion Jon Jones, provided Jones defeats Glover Teixeira in April.
Cormier (14-0) has no beef with a Jones-Gustafsson rematch, and feels that a fight against the winner of Phil Davis vs. Anthony Johnson at UFC 172 makes sense under those circumstances. Should Manuwa upset Gustafsson, however, Cormier feels he deserves an immediate title shot.
However things pan out, Cormier plans on staying in fighting shape after needing just over a minute to TKO Cummins.
“I guess I stay ready and if someone gets injured, the fight makes sense,” Cormier said at the UFC 170 post-fight press conference. “I’ll fight anytime. They’ve got some big fights coming up. If anybody gets hurt, they can give me a call.”