Daniel Cormier Reacts To His Ever-Changing Fan Perception

Daniel Cormier has been on both sides of the fence. H’s been the good guy and the bad guy. The babyface and the heel. When fight fans had their first introduction to the light heavyweight champion, he was the plucky, undersized alternate who won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Fans loved him for his thrilling […]

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Daniel Cormier has been on both sides of the fence.

H’s been the good guy and the bad guy. The babyface and the heel.

When fight fans had their first introduction to the light heavyweight champion, he was the plucky, undersized alternate who won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Fans loved him for his thrilling first-round knockout of Antônio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva. Then something changed around the time of the first Jon Jones fight, where fight fans decidedly wanted ‘Bones’ to win. That continued on into his long rivalry with Jones that was extended by Jones’ many outside-the-cage issues and suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs.

Cormier recently spoke on the rollercoaster he’s been on with MMA fans throughout the years (MMA Fighting):

“When I went out there that first time and they booed me with Jon [Jones], I just played the bad guy. I will say all the stuff you hate me saying. You hate that I make fun of [Jon Jones] for his addictions? I will say every one of those addictions and I’ll list them all out. Before it was like, I don’t think they’ll boo me for it. Okay, you’ll boo me for it? You don’t like that? I’d kind of feel out what people liked and didn’t like. And the things I got the most hate, on Twitter, I would start to say it in public. If you want me to be your bad guy, I’ll be your bad guy. I just kind of gauge it.”

But although he was the ‘bad guy’ prior to his UFC 214 knockout defeat at the hands of “Bones,” Cormier shomehow found himself in the fans good graces once again at January’s UFC 220, when they cheered his name as he finished surging competitor Volkan Oezdemir.

“People just decide what they want to do. Going into the Jones fight, it was all boos. And then going into Boston, it was all cheers. Then when I went to that press conference in Brooklyn, cheers. They put me on the camera and for the first time, people yelled positive stuff. Usually they just boo me. I didn’t care. I just get used to it.”

Cormier recently finished filming his season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) against fellow UFC champion Stipe Miocic, and the two will face off in a champion vs. champion superfight in the main event of UFC 226 on July 7.

Will fans be rooting for him there?

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Eight UFC Hype Trains Who Fizzled Out Quick

The UFC hype machine is crucial in the development and promotion of new superstars, something the promotion seems to be lacking in the early going of 2018. While some of these uber-hyped fighters have gone on to big things in the sport of MMA, many more have fallen by the wayside, never living up to […]

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The UFC hype machine is crucial in the development and promotion of new superstars, something the promotion seems to be lacking in the early going of 2018.

While some of these uber-hyped fighters have gone on to big things in the sport of MMA, many more have fallen by the wayside, never living up to the lofty expectations the UFC and fight fans placed upon them.

Sometimes it’s the fighters who hype themselves up to almost unattainable levels, other times the fans or promoters. Still, the result is always the same, and almost never ends well.

We broke down the eight worst hype train derailments below, so check them out and let us know what you think.

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

8. Sage Northcutt

While Northcutt’s young age could eventually preclude him from this list, the amount of hype he garnered following his successful UFC debut ultimately made for a deflating hype train derailment.

Northcutt had and has the perfect appeal for a UFC hype job; blonde hair, ridiculously chiseled physique, a fan-friendly striking game, and a sort of charming naïveté made him easy to promote. He TKO’d his inaugural UFC opponent in a minute flat, but from there the wheels began falling off of this hype train.

The first sign that Northcutt might not be the world-beater we thought he was was in his third Octagon appearance, where the young Texas native submitted to an arm-triangle choke against the unheralded Bryan Barbarena in 2016. Then, in what amounted to a battle of hyped-up prospects, Mickey Gall submitted him with a rear-naked choke, prompting fans and pundits to question Northcutt’s submission defense and overall potential.

At just 22 years old with a 10-2 MMA record, Northcutt could absolutely turn it around and become a contender within the next few years. However, the UFC’s attempt to hype and push him into relevancy so quickly obviously worked against him.

Time will tell whether or not Northcutt will live up to the hype first placed upon him back in 2015.

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Daniel Cormier Reveals Planned Date For MMA Retirement

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is nearing 40 years old, and despite dominating a much younger challenger in Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 on Saturday, he has already planned his retirement date. Cormier (20-1) has been the best 205-pound fighter outside of Jon Jones for some time now, and with ‘Bones’ facing yet another unceremonious suspension […]

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UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is nearing 40 years old, and despite dominating a much younger challenger in Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 on Saturday, he has already planned his retirement date.

Cormier (20-1) has been the best 205-pound fighter outside of Jon Jones for some time now, and with ‘Bones’ facing yet another unceremonious suspension following their rematch at UFC 214, he will hold that distinction for the foreseeable future. DC’s status as champion was reinforced once again after a second-round TKO shut down the Oezdemir hype train in Boston last week.

As he approaches the big 4-0, Cormier revealed on today’s episode of The MMA Hour that he has set a very specific date for his retirement from MMA:

“Come March, I will have 12 months, at max, left. I’m going to be done by March 20, 2019. I won’t be fighting again.”

“I’m done, I’m going to done at 40,” Cormier said. “I won’t be back. There won’t be jumping around or ‘I’m done until I get the right type of fight.’ It’ll be over. I’m not going to be doing this anymore. I’ve said time and time again that I’ve lived a great life in sports, I’ve loved every moment of it. My family has revolved around sports. Not only my family, Selena and the kids, but also my mom and my dad. I’ve been the center of the athletic universe for my family for a really, really long time, and it’s time for that to be little Daniel and Marquita. It’s time for them to be the center of our athletic competition, and I just want to be one of those crazy dads that gets to yell on the sideline and just go crazy and brag about his kids.”

The light heavyweight division will certainly undergo quite the transformation once Cormier retires, and with no sign of Jones anytime soon, the 205-pound weight class will be in dire need of high-level replacements.

In fact, it’s almost unfathomable to think of a light heavyweight division without either man.

For his part, Cormier knows when to bow out; the man began his career in earnest in 2009, and ever since then, he’s collected belts wherever he’s fought. Now, Cormier has his broadcasting gig with FOX Sports to fall back on, and his occasional commentary at UFC events.

Who will be the man to replace DC once he’s retired? Assuming Jones is still off the radar, it could be some time before the UFC truly answers that question.

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Five Best Fights To Make After UFC 220

UFC 220 was a hard lesson learned for all involved, from fans to fighters and UFC brass themselves. Two extremely hyped contenders got beat down and demoralized, while the incumbent champions didn’t get the respect they felt they deserved. In hindsight, Volkan Oezdemir was not ready for Daniel Cormier, and the same can be said […]

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UFC 220 was a hard lesson learned for all involved, from fans to fighters and UFC brass themselves.

Two extremely hyped contenders got beat down and demoralized, while the incumbent champions didn’t get the respect they felt they deserved.

In hindsight, Volkan Oezdemir was not ready for Daniel Cormier, and the same can be said for Francis Ngannou with Stipe Miocic.

Even so, there are so many excellent fights to make after Saturday night, so without further adieu, let’s have a look:

Photo: Michael Adamucci for USA TODAY Sports

5. Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis

Ngannou fell short in his title shot against Stipe Miocic, but given his age and experience level, it’s fair to say he will certainly compete for the title again.

Derrick Lewis and Ngannou have traded barbs ever since “The Black Beast” beat Travis Browne and his subsequent loss to Mark Hunt. Ngannou has trolled Lewis online, saying a fight with Lewis would not bring him closer to a title shot. Well now that he’s had his shot, this is the perfect fight to make for both men, provided Lewis emerges victorious against Marcin Tybura next month.

The heavyweight division is indeed bereft of top-level contenders, and a win here for either man could catapult them back into contention.

And not for nothing, but a fight between the two would absolutely satisfy the “Just Bleed” crowd. Both of these men are harbingers of unbridled violence.

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Volkan Oezdemir Enters Plea For Assault Charge

Volkan Oezdemir got into some hot water after getting arrested following a bar fight in Fort Lauderdale in August. Being next in line for a shot at light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, Oezdemir pleaded not guilty to the crime, and the case will apparently not affect his availability for UFC 220 on January 20. His […]

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Volkan Oezdemir got into some hot water after getting arrested following a bar fight in Fort Lauderdale in August.

Being next in line for a shot at light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, Oezdemir pleaded not guilty to the crime, and the case will apparently not affect his availability for UFC 220 on January 20.

His next court date is February 22, and prosecutors said he won’t be under any travel restrictions while the case is being adjudicated, meaning he’s good to go in terms of traveling to Boston and fight for the belt according to MMA Fighting.

Oezdemir, 28, has had a meteoric rise within the ranks in the UFC, defeating Jimi Manuwa and Misha Cirkunov in less than a minute each. Just three fights into his UFC tenure, the Swiss national by way of Turkey is now fighting for the belt.

Oezdemir’s lawyer insists his client fought merely in self-defense and that he was entirely justified. Meanwhile, prosecutors say the man Oezdemir fought with, a man named Kevin Cohen, was knocked unconscious for 14 minutes and had to be treated at a nearby hospital for a concussion.

The UFC light heavyweight lives in the U.S. to train, but could face deportation if found guilty. Oezdemir was initially charged with second-degree felony aggravated assault causing grievous bodily harm, but prosecutors lessened the charge to third-degree felony battery.

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Daniel Cormier vs. Volkan Oezdemir Confirmed For UFC 220

The Daniel Cormier vs. Volkan Oezdemir light heavyweight title fight will go forward as planned despite ‘No Time’s’ recent felony arrest for battery. News arrived from the UFC tonight that Cormier and Oezdemir will square off at January 20’s UFC 220 pay-per-view (PPV) card from Boston, Massachusetts. The bout had been heavily discussed by Cormier […]

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The Daniel Cormier vs. Volkan Oezdemir light heavyweight title fight will go forward as planned despite ‘No Time’s’ recent felony arrest for battery.

News arrived from the UFC tonight that Cormier and Oezdemir will square off at January 20’s UFC 220 pay-per-view (PPV) card from Boston, Massachusetts.

The bout had been heavily discussed by Cormier after he conducted a recent online poll to decide his next challenger, which Oezdemir won after dispatching his last two opponents Jimi Manuwa and Misha Cirkunov in 70 seconds combined. But an arrest for aggravated battery causing serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony charge, after he allegedly knocked a man unconscious outside a Florida bar in August put the fight in serious jeopardy.

Originally from Switzerland, Oezdmeir has since surrendered his passport to Broward County court, and his lawyer Bruce Zimet maintained that his client was only acting in self-defense during an arraignment hearing two weeks ago.

The arrest adds to an already insane UFC light heavyweight title picture, where Cormier became the official champion for a second time due to decorated former champ and heated rival Jon Jones screwing up after “Bones” tested positive for anabolic steroid Turinabol during an in-competition drug test the day before his third-round knockout of Cormier at July 29’s UFC 214, a victory that was supposed to bring order to the chaotic landscape.

But as has been the case with the ultra-talented but oft-troubled Jones, nothing is certain, and Cormier was rightfully made the champion again even after he lost badly.

His new era begins in Boston on January 20; that is if Oezdemir can make it to the Octagon without incident.

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