(Skip to 2:08 to see Georges St. Pierre as “Batroc the Leaper” in this new clip from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. / Props: Marvel Entertainment)
(Skip to 2:08 to see Georges St. Pierre as “Batroc the Leaper” in this new clip from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. / Props: Marvel Entertainment)
There is something beyond the physical act of returning to the place you come from that helps put the movie of life into perspective. Things tend to slow down and snap into focus, providing an outline to the route traveled from a personal starting poin…
There is something beyond the physical act of returning to the place you come from that helps put the movie of life into perspective. Things tend to slow down and snap into focus, providing an outline to the route traveled from a personal starting point.
Daniel Cormier has never forgotten the place that molded and prepared him for the road ahead. Before he was a standout collegiate wrestler, a two-time Olympian and an undefeated contender in two divisions in the UFC, “D.C.” was a kid from Louisiana who was looking to make good on lofty dreams.
This past week, the 34-year-old returned—with family in tow—to give something back to the community that helped build his foundation.
Coming off a successful showing in his first bout in the 205-pound ranks, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner could have tuned out the world and settled into a well-earned vacation back home in Lafayette, La., and the world would have continued to turn. Yet, as a product of that environment, he was aware of how important it was for someone of his stature to give back, and that’s exactly what he decided to do.
In cooperation with several wrestling clubs in the Lafayette area, he held a free wrestling seminar for children in his hometown. Throughout his career, he has been vocal about how wrestling shaped him as a man. He was not going to pass up the opportunity to provide guidance and tutelage to youths who are standing in shoes he once wore.
“I have a friend who has a youth club down in Lafayette,” Cormier told Bleacher Report. “He’s the coach—been coaching for a long time—and I asked him to get in contact with the rest of the clubs here and tell them I was going to do a free two-hour seminar. I just remember growing up that I had to go all over the country to get time with Olympians and NCAA champions. I had to constantly travel to work with national champions and next-level wrestlers who could teach me a lot of the things I needed to learn. Being from here, I figured I could just set something up and give it away for free.
“It’s unbelievable what this sport has done for me. I think it’s great not only because I’m able to give something to these kids they wouldn’t normally get, but I just believe so much in this sport. Not only do I think this sport helps you physically and mentally, it helps you learn how to stand on your own.
“When you go play basketball you have five people on that court with you who are your teammates. When you play football there is 11. But in wrestling, it teaches you how to be confident enough to go into the middle of the gym by yourself and compete.
“When you do that, you can do just about anything,” he added. “I believe that so much, and the chance to give back to these kids and give them a chance to take from it what I took from it is an opportunity you can’t really pass up.”
After his victory at UFC 170, Cormier will enjoy his week back in “The Bayou State” just as his new division and the title picture at 205 are about to heat up. Recent title challenger Alexander Gustafsson will step back into action on Saturday to face Jimi Manuwa in London, and “The Mauler” is set to earn another title opportunity should he defeat the heavy-handed Brit.
With a Gustafsson win, Cormier’s path to the title will take an extended route. Yet, if the Swede falls on Saturday, the AKA staple is looking to make a serious play for championship gold.
And that is where things get tricky.
With his current position in the light heavyweight fold being somewhat uncertain at the present time, his next step will be determined by how several high-profile matchups play out in the coming weeks. He could potentially face a number of top-ranked fighters who will be coming out of showcase tilts, and he’s ready to charge in whatever direction is needed.
That said, he wants nothing more than a shot at the title and champion Jon Jones. While he knows that a win over a green prospect like Patrick Cummins isn’t a qualifier, he has decided to turn the spotlight on the impressive resume he’s built in his short career. Cormier has defeated a collection of vastly more experienced former champions and contenders and believes his past work and accomplishments should warrant him a title opportunity.
“There really aren’t many opportunities to get back in there right now because everyone that’s highly ranked are all tied up,” Cormier said. “The only fighter open would be [Antonio Rogerio] Nogueira, and I don’t really know what he’s doing right now. If he’s healthy, I’d love to fight him. He’s a veteran, and I think he’s accomplished a lot in this sport. He’s the only guy that isn’t tied up with a fight right now, but I don’t have a problem waiting.
“[Alexander] Gustafsson fights this weekend, and we’ll see how he does. If he wins, I think he definitely deserves his rematch, then I would fight the winner of Anthony Johnson vs. Phil Davis or Shogun Rua and Dan Henderson have a fight coming up too. There are options after all these fights take place, but there is really nothing out there for me right now. I just have to wait, hold tight, and if Gustafsson does not win, hope the UFC sees that I’m the next guy that should rightfully fight for the championship.”
While Cormier’s vision of the landscape of the division’s upper tier seems accurate, he wasn’t done making his case. The undefeated contender added another wrinkle to what has become a crowded picture.
“Here are some quick facts, so listen to this,” Cormier explained. “Nick Diaz fought for a UFC championship. Gilbert Melendez is going on his second title shot. Alistair Overeem was scheduled to fight for a championship. Dan Henderson was scheduled to fight for the championship against Jon Jones, but it got cancelled. Jake Shields and Miesha Tate have both fought for championships. Luke Rockhold is the only outside of myself that was a Strikeforce belt holder and that has not fought for a belt yet.
“If Gustafsson wins, he rightfully deserves his rematch. That said, if Gustafsson doesn’t win, I don’t see why I wouldn’t get my chance when everyone else has gotten a chance to fight for a title in the UFC. I’m by no means saying I’m trying to skip him, but I’m ready to fight for the belt. I think it’s time.
“This is also a situation you have to be careful in,” he added. “After winning my last fight, I don’t want to seem cartoonish by asking for a title shot after beating a guy who was 4-0. I understand that, and I get it. I’m not asking for a championship fight based on that. I’m asking for a championship fight based on my resume and my career.
“When I had seven wins, I was fighting Jeff Monson, who had 60 fights. I fought Bigfoot Silva when I was less than two years into my career. I beat Josh Barnett and Frank Mir, who were both former UFC champions. I beat Roy Nelson, who has been a Top 10 guy for a very long time. I’m asking for a title shot based on the four Top 10 wins I have over the course of my career.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
It’s going to take a lot more than knocking out Patrick Cummins for Daniel Cormier to convince Jon Jones that he’s ready for a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
The former Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion has sacrif…
It’s going to take a lot more than knocking out Patrick Cummins for Daniel Cormier to convince Jon Jones that he’s ready for a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
The former Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion has sacrificed everything, including Popeyes chicken, to drop down to 205 pounds. Now that the hard part is over, Cormier is finally in a position to challenge Jones for the light heavyweight title.
There’s no secret that he and Jones have had their share of problems in the past, mostly related to fat jokes and several other Twitter spats. When speaking with Fox Sports, Cormier took the initiative and pushed all of the past drama aside, respectfully asking Jones for a title shot.
“Hey Jon, this is Daniel Cormier — bro, brother, would you be willing to give me a title shot? I’m asking nicely. I’m not being aggressive. I’m not trying to be confrontational, Jon, I’m just asking. Would you be willing to give me a chance to fight? Please, brother, please. Make the decision.”
Cormier’s resume speaks for itself.
The former Olympian boasts an undefeated professional record with lopsided wins over Josh Barnett, Antonio Silva, Frank Mir and Roy Nelson. At UFC 170, he was originally slated to make his light heavyweight debut against former UFC champ Rashad Evans, but plans were scrapped when “Suga” suffered a serious knee injury in training.
Instead, the UFC brought in Cummins, an inexperienced MMA fighter who was working at a local coffee shop in Orange County, California. The 4-0 light heavyweight prospect received his UFC wake-up call after getting trounced by Cormier in just 89 seconds.
Unfortunately for Cormier, his impromptu quickie at UFC 170 didn’t impress Jones. The reigning light heavyweight champ left a message of his own, responding to Cormier’s pleas for a title shot.
“First and foremost, since you’re speaking more respectfully, I’ll say congratulations on your victory and your weight loss,” Jones told Fox Sports’ Damon Martin. “But as far as giving you a title shot, I have no interest in fighting you right now, only because of the fact that you really haven’t fought anyone that I consider a top-level fighter.”
The champ continued:
I’m kind of sick of seeing UFC light heavyweights fight against kind of like ‘cans’ until they get a title shot. I really want to see a top contender fight a top contender and I think you need to fight someone a little bit more well-known than Patrick Cummins. Fight against Rashad [Evans], fight against somebody legit, man. Then I think it would be a little more appropriate to give you that title shot.
It is widely believed that Alexander Gustafsson is next in line for a title shot if he gets past Jimi Manuwa at UFC Fight Night: London on Saturday. Even if Gustafsson loses, or Jones falls to Glover Teixeira at UFC 172, one has to believe Phil Davis still has a leg up on Cormier in the light heavyweight division as well.
Cormier is without question one of the best fighters in the world, but there was already a line in place at 205 pounds before he got there.
One would be hard-pressed to think that a win over Cummins magically pushes him to the forefront of the title picture.
In a sense, changing weight classes should be considered as starting over. We all know how good Cormier is, but that doesn’t mean he gets to cut in line.
Coming off his blowout win over Patrick Cummins at UFC 170, Daniel Cormier is looking for a big step up in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
Cormier told UFC Tonight’s Ariel Helwani that he either wants a No. 1 contender’s fight or, if things work …
Coming off his blowout win over Patrick Cummins at UFC 170, Daniel Cormier is looking for a big step up in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
Cormier told UFC Tonight’s Ariel Helwani that he either wants a No. 1 contender’s fight or, if things work out, a title shot at the winner of the UFC 172 main event between Jon Jones and Glover Teixiera.
His immediate future hinges on the March 8 bout between Alexander Gustafsson and JimiManuwa. If Gustafsson wins, the UFC will likely pair him with Jones in a rematch of their UFC 165 bout in September, as long as Jones beat Teixiera in April. Jones won that bout by unanimous decision, but the fight was agonizingly close, and many felt Gustafsson did enough to wrest the title from Jones.
Instead of being granted an immediate rematch, however, he must first defeat the unheralded yet dangerous Manuwa. If he prevails, the Swede is almost assuredly guaranteed a shot at the Jones vs. Teixeira winner.
But if Manuwa scores the upset, Cormier would be in the driver’s seat for the title shot.
Cormier told UFC Tonight that he’s fine with a Jones vs. Gustafsson rematch. If that scenario plays out, he said he’d like to face the winner of the UFC 172 bout between Phil Davis and Anthony Johnson.
While a win over Cummins may not ultimately earn him a championship opportunity, there is very little question that a win over Davis or Johnson would make Cormier the unquestioned No. 1 contender for the light heavyweight title.
Ronda Rousey may have been the star attraction at UFC 170, but Daniel Cormier was the one who took home the bigger paycheck, according to the disclosed payroll numbers released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
MMAWeekly.com reported the numbers…
Ronda Rousey may have been the star attraction at UFC 170, but Daniel Cormier was the one who took home the bigger paycheck, according to the disclosed payroll numbers released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Rousey steamrolled fellow Olympian Sara McMann on Saturday night to record her third consecutive UFC title defense. The women’s bantamweight champ proved she was anything but a one-trick pony by forgoing the usual armbar finish and notching her first ever TKO stoppage.
McMann’s punching power had no effect on Rousey, who quickly closed the distance and roughed the wrestler up in the clinch with dirty boxing. Many truly believed McMann would serve as Rousey’s most difficult test in the Octagon, but a knee to the liver and a controversial TKO stoppage by referee Herb Dean at 66 seconds into the first round put that notion to rest rather quickly.
In the co-main event, former heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier made his light heavyweight debut against UFC newcomer Patrick Cummins.
Originally slated to fight Rashad Evans, Cormier accepted a late replacement bout against Cummins, one of his former training partners for the 2004 Olympic games. There was plenty of back-and-forth jawing between the two leading up to the bout, but the actual fight played out exactly the way one would expect on paper.
Cummins, a fighter drastically lacking in experience, was completely annihilated in an 89-second TKO loss to Cormier, who is arguably one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. The UFC marketing team definitely deserves a huge pat on the back for selling Cummins’ chances of pulling off a historical upset in an obvious mismatch.
Cormier tops the base salary list with a $160,000 purse, while Rousey comes in at a close second with $110,000.
The UFC also handed out $50,000 bonuses for “Performance of the Night” and “Fight of the Night.” Rousey and Steven “Wonderboy” Thompson both took home bonuses for top performances, and “Fight of the Night” went to the welterweight scrap between Rory MacDonald and Demian Maia.
Here is MMAWeekly’s full list of disclosed salaries from UFC 170. Keep in mind, this list doesn’t include sponsorship money or discretionary locker room bonuses that may have been given by the UFC.
(Cormier spent more on Popeye’s delivery that night than Durkins made for getting his ass kicked. / Props: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports, via MMAJunkie)
Ronda Rousey ($110,000, including $55,000 win bonus and $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus)
def. Sara McMann ($16,000)
Daniel Cormier ($160,000, including $80,000 win bonus)
def. Patrick Cummins ($8,000)
Rory MacDonald ($150,000, including $50,000 win bonus and $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Demian Maia ($114,000, including $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
(Cormier spent more on Popeye’s delivery that night than Durkins made for getting his ass kicked. / Props: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports, via MMAJunkie)
Ronda Rousey ($110,000, including $55,000 win bonus and $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus)
def. Sara McMann ($16,000)
Daniel Cormier ($160,000, including $80,000 win bonus)
def. Patrick Cummins ($8,000)
Rory MacDonald ($150,000, including $50,000 win bonus and $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Demian Maia ($114,000, including $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Mike Pyle ($96,000, including $48,000 win bonus)
def. T.J. Waldburger ($18,000)
Stephen Thompson ($78,000, including $14,000 win bonus and $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus)
def. Robert Whittaker ($15,000)
Alexis Davis ($30,000, including $15,000 win bonus)
def. Jessica Eye ($8,000)
Raphael Assunção ($56,000, including $28,000 win bonus)
def. Pedro Muhnoz ($8,000)
Erik Koch ($30,000, including $15,000 win bonus)
def. Rafaello Oliveira ($14,000)
Ernest Chavez ($16,000, including $8,000 win bonus)
def. Yosdenis Cedeno ($8,000)
Not sure if underpaid or overpaid: Let’s be real, Patrick Cummins could have been killed in there. On the other hand, would you rather take a 79-second ass-whuppin’ from Daniel Cormier, or work for 800 hours in a coffee shop making hot drinks for assholes at $10/hour? Cummins got an opportunity that most up-and-coming fighters would probably take for free, sadly.
I’d say that Cummins is “not ready for the UFC” at this point, but of course he is. At 4-1, he’s more than qualified to compete on the prelims of an international Fight Pass event, where he’d face off against another too-green prospect for the opportunity to fight on future Fight Pass cards.
That’s the best case scenario for Cummins right now, because he accepted an invite to the big show too soon. In the UFC, you’re either a fighter the promotion wants to develop, or the meat that gets fed to them. Maybe two or three years from now Patrick Cummins could have been a prospect that the UFC was actually interested in. Instead, he chose to be the meat, after being fooled by one of the biggest lies in the MMA promoter’s handbook: Anything can happen in this sport.
There is something beyond the physical act of returning to the place you come from that helps put the movie of life into perspective. Things tend to slow down and snap into focus, providing an outline to the route traveled from a personal starting point.