Daniel Cormier continued his march toward a potential UFC Light Heavyweight Championship fight as he defeated Dan Henderson in impressive fashion at UFC 173 Saturday night.
A bit unsurprisingly, DC mauled the overmatched 43-year-old for all three round…
Daniel Cormier continued his march toward a potential UFC Light Heavyweight Championship fight as he defeated Dan Henderson in impressive fashion at UFC 173 Saturday night.
A bit unsurprisingly, DC mauled the overmatched 43-year-old for all three rounds, throwing Hendo around like a rag doll and controlling all of the action on his way to a dominant submission victory.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole noted the official finish, while Guilherme Cruz added an impressive stat following the transcendent performance:
Afterward, Cormier was quick to call out Jon Jones, via ESPN’s Brett Okamoto:
Despite his long track record of success, Henderson entered Saturday’s tilt as a massive underdog. Although he won his previous fight against Mauricio Rua, Henderson lost three in a row prior to that. Conversely, Cormier had never lost ahead of UFC 173, and he continued his tear through the world of MMA.
The 35-year-old is a former Olympic wrestler who burst onto the MMA scene in 2009. He established himself as a dominant heavyweight, but he has since dropped down in weight. He won his first light heavyweight bout decisively against Patrick Cummins, and while Henderson was a step up in competition, it didn’t seem to faze Cormier.
DC has been touted as the next big thing in UFC for the past couple of years, so there was plenty of pressure on him to perform against Henderson.
Although Henderson was a clear underdog against Cormier, he seemed confident in his ability to hand him his first career loss, according to Heidi Fang of Fox Sports 670 AM:
Henderson felt as though a Cormier loss was inevitable at some point, and while it may come to fruition eventually, Henderson learned that DC is for real.
The win is huge for Cormier, but it may be equally devastating for Henderson. At 43 years of age, he is seemingly on the decline, and the fact that he has lost four out of his past five fights won’t do him any favors in terms of scoring big bouts in the near future.
He has long been a recipient of testosterone replacement therapy, but it was recently banned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. That marked a major change for Henderson, but he made it clear leading up to Saturday’s fight that he was still capable of excelling even without TRT, per Matt Erickson of MMAJunkie.com:
I’m feeling pretty good. I maybe lay on the couch a little more than I used to. But I laid on the couch quite a bit before, too. It’s all about just making sure you train hard and train smart. I did that before I was on TRT, I did that during, and now, as well. I’ve won fights and lost fights with it and without it. I really don’t notice too big of a difference, competition-wise. But hopefully I make a statement that it doesn’t matter in this fight.
Hendo may have been prepared, but that still wasn’t enough to beat Cormier. Perhaps Hendo lost simply because Cormier is better at this point in their respective careers. With TRT now out of the equation, though, some observers might question the validity of Henderson’s previous success.
This win is a significant one for Cormier, as it potentially puts a title shot against Jon “Bones” Jones in his future. Cormier took this fight against Henderson in order to prepare himself for a meeting with Jones, but doing so wasn’t his first choice.
According to Steven Marrocco of MMAJunkie.com, fighting Henderson isn’t something that Cormier wanted to do initially:
I wasn’t exactly happy about it. I would much rather not fight Dan Henderson. He’s a guy that I’ve looked up to for a long time. Dan is the first guy I can go into the cage with and say this guy’s done everything that I’ve done, and he’s actually done things at a much higher level than I have.
Cormier obviously has the utmost respect for Henderson, but he didn’t allow that to hinder his performance. DC knew that he had a job to do at UFC 173, and he won in impressive fashion. Unfortunately, it may mean the end of an MMA legend’s career.
Even though Henderson hasn’t said much about retirement in recent years, it will inevitably continue to be a hot topic of conversation. He is no longer a top-notch fighter in UFC, and it may be time for him to step away from the Octagon in the near future.
A win might have gotten Henderson into title contention against Jones, but it is difficult to imagine that happening based on Hendo‘s recent string of poor results. He is very much in limbo right now, and he may have to settle for some lower-level fights if he wants to continue competing.
It can be argued that Cormier simply did what he was supposed to do against Henderson, but it was a great victory nonetheless. Henderson is as savvy as they come and has a massive experience edge over Cormier, but that ultimately didn’t matter.
Cormier confirmed his status as the favorite and proved worthy of challenging Jones at some point. Whether that occurs in his next fight or even after Jones takes on Alexander Gustafsson again, a Cormier vs. Jones clash appears inevitable.
Based on how Cormier looked at UFC 173, he could potentially be the biggest threat to Jones’ throne yet.
I’ll start with the good news: Tonight’s UFC 173: Barao vs. Dillashaw pay-per-view features two of the UFC’s greatest talents — bantamweight champion Renan Barao and undefeated light-heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier — and seeing those guys in action might be worth the PPV cost in itself. True, Barao and Cormier are both competing in lopsided odds-mismatches that are bordering on indefensible, but why focus on the negative?
In addition to “The Baron” defending his 135-pound title against Team Alpha Male standout TJ Dillashaw, and Cormier looking to earn a title shot with a win over legendary slugger Dan Henderson, tonight’s card will feature a high-level welterweight bout between Robbie Lawler and Jake Ellenberger (who are both coming off losses). Plus, Takeya “Teriyaki” Mizugaki and Francisco Rivera will attempt to build on their win streaks in the bantamweight division, and Jamie Varner kicks off the broadcast against fellow fan-friendly lightweight James Krause.
BG will be sticking round-by-round updates from the UFC 173 main card after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for the latest updates, and follow us on twitter for extra analysis and yuk-yuks. Thanks for coming.
I’ll start with the good news: Tonight’s UFC 173: Barao vs. Dillashaw pay-per-view features two of the UFC’s greatest talents — bantamweight champion Renan Barao and undefeated light-heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier — and seeing those guys in action might be worth the PPV cost in itself. True, Barao and Cormier are both competing in lopsided odds-mismatches that are bordering on indefensible, but why focus on the negative?
In addition to “The Baron” defending his 135-pound title against Team Alpha Male standout TJ Dillashaw, and Cormier looking to earn a title shot with a win over legendary slugger Dan Henderson, tonight’s card will feature a high-level welterweight bout between Robbie Lawler and Jake Ellenberger (who are both coming off losses). Plus, Takeya “Teriyaki” Mizugaki and Francisco Rivera will attempt to build on their win streaks in the bantamweight division, and Jamie Varner kicks off the broadcast against fellow fan-friendly lightweight James Krause.
BG will be sticking round-by-round updates from the UFC 173 main card after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for the latest updates, and follow us on twitter for extra analysis and yuk-yuks. Thanks for coming.
UFC 173 preliminary card results
– Michael Chiesa def. Francisco Trinaldo via unanimous decision (30-26 x 2, 30-27)
– Tony Ferguson def. Katsunori Kikuno via TKO, 4:06 of round 1
– Chris Holdsworth def. Chico Camus via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Mitch Clarke def Al Iaquinta via technical submission (D’arce choke), 0:57 of round 2
– Vinc Pichel def. Anthony Njokuani via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
– Sam Sicilia def. Aaron Phillips via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
– Li Jingliang def. David Michaud via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Joe Rogan throws his jacket on, signaling the transition from free prelims to fancy pay-per-view broadcast. Wait, did he just call Fedor Emelianenko “the greatest heavyweight ever” during a discussion about Dan Henderson? Does the UFC dock him 20% of his purse for that?
Jamie Varner vs. James Krause
Krause is a full six inches taller than Varner, and has a 3.5″ reach advantage. Varner is showing off his new hipster haircut tonight.
Round 1: Varner jabbing to Krause’s body. Krause using his long legs to tag Varner low. Krause lands a front kick to the face, followed by a pair of sharp punches. Varner falls to the mat after another striking exchange; there might be something wrong with his ankle, which appears swollen. He manages to get to his feet, and bounces around. Varner shoots in for a takedown and gets it, but Krause reverses him and gets on top. Now Varner reverses and lands shots from the top. He tries to take Krause’s back but Krause gets up and out. Krause kicks at Varner’s damaged ankle. He lands again and Varner drops to the mat and turtles. Krause lets him up and continues to attack the leg. Varner keeps swinging; gotta respect the heart of Varner. One more shot and Varner hits the mat again. Krause dives on as the round ends.
And it’s all over. Varner tells his corner that his ankle is broken and they call it off. The replays show that yep, Varner rolled his ankle in multiple disgusting ways. If I find a GIF of it, I’ll pass it along.
James Krause def. Jamie Varner via TKO (injury), 5:00 of round 1.
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Francisco Rivera
Round 1: Rivera lands a hard left hook right away. Then a straight right that lands. Rivera slipping punches well and returning fire. Both guys trading heavy shots. Mizugaki rocks Rivera during a striking exchange and Rivera falls to the mat. Mizugaki jumps on and tried to finish but Rivera keeps his wits about him and controls Mizugaki’s body, slowing his attack. Rivera gets to his feet and ends up with his back against the fence. Mizugaki with a knee to the body. Rivera trips Mizugaki to the mat. Mizugaki pops up and they separate. They clinch and move to the fence. Rivera with some knees in close, and a takedown, but Mizugaki escapes and swings wildly at Rivera as the round ends.
Round 2: Rivera opens with a leg kick. Rivera lands a question-mark kick upside Mizugaki’s head. Mizugaki shoots for a takedown and Rivera grabs a guillotine and drops to the mat. Mizugaki waits it out and escapes. Mizugaki lands a big punch from the top, as Rivera is stuck sitting against the fence. Another punch from Mizugaki, who then transitions to Rivera’s back. Mizugaki looking for the rear-naked, but isn’t working too hard for it. Mizugaki softening Rivera up with short punches to the body and head. The round ends.
Round 3: Body kick Rivera. Both guys land in boxing exchanges. Mizugaki doing well with counter punches. Mizugaki floors Rivera with a straight right as Rivera throws a kick, and Mizugaki gets on top. Mizugaki throwing some punches here and there; Rivera seems content to play defense. Joe Rogan wonders if Rivera came into the fight sick or injured; that’s how unimpressive he’s looking. The ref stands ‘em. Both guys swinging for the fences. Rivera eats a hard one. Last 30 seconds. Lots of haymakers, none landing cleanly. Both guys whip their arms around at the air until the last horn ends.
Takeya Mizugaki def. Francisco Rivera via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x 2)
Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Ellenberger
Ellenberger comes out to Coolio’s “Gangster’s Paradise.” (Seriously.) Robbie comes out to Weird Al’s “Amish Paradise.” Just kidding, but damn, that would be epic.
Round 1: Lawler lands a hard left head kick to start the fight…and another. Then one to the body. Another high kick. Ellenberger chases and Lawler sticks a left hand while retreating. Lawler throws the high kick again. Lawler lands a knee to the body. Ellenberger whiffs an uppercuts. He comes in with a hook, Lawler fires a high kick. Lawler lands some hard punches as Ellenberger moves in. Body shot from Ellenberger, Lawler fires the high kick, and one more at the horn. 10-9 Robbie.
Round 2: Ellenberger comes in and swings a big right hand, Lawler throws a kick, lands some punches. Lawler with a nice knee against the fence. Lawler stalking forward and stinging Ellenberger with punches. Ellenberger shoots in, grabs Lawler around the waist, and half-lands a head kick as Lawler shakes out. Lawler with a straight left. And another. Lawler battering Ellenberger with power punches. Ellenberger shoots and manages to get a takedown. Lawler smiles and reverses the position, just like that. Lawler firing punches at Ellenberger’s head. Lalwer lands a knee to Ellenberger’s face as Jake gets up. Ellenberger scores another takedown and fires down an elbow, but Lawler easily kicks out and gets up. Front kick and punches from Lawler. They clinch on the fence and the round ends. 10-9 Lawler again.
Round 3: Lawler with a perfectly timed knee as Ellenberger comes in. But then Ellenberger storms forward with a series of power punches that have Lawler on his heels. Lawler scores with a knee and a sharp jab that snaps Ellenberger’s head back. Ellenberger is nursing his right hand, which might have been injured during his barrage of punches. Ellenberger with a body kick. Lawler sticks the jab. Sharp 1-2 from Lawler. Another punch and Ellenberger winces, squints. He might have taken a shot straight to the eye. Lawler blasts in with a knee to Ellenberger’s face, hitting him in the same damn eye, and Ellenberger crumples to the mat. He’s done. Lawler fires punches down until the ref jumps in.
Robbie Lawler def. Jake Ellenberger via TKO, 3:06 of round 3
Dan Henderson vs. Daniel Cormier
Cormier runs out to the cage. He wants this bad.
Round 1: Cormier opens with a left high kick. Hendo returns one to Cormier’s leg. Hendo misses on an overhand right, Cormier grabs him and rag-dolls him to the mat. I mean, it’s scary how easy that was for him. Hendo working on a weird crucifix from the bottom, but DC pulls out of it. Cormier in side control, dropping shots to Henderson’s body. Cormier tries to work to mount, but Henderson defends. He tries again and gets it for a second, but Henderson shrimps out and establishes guard. Henderson tries to kick Cormier off, Cormier dives back on, smothering Henderson on the mat. Henderson looks for a leg lock before escaping. They’re back on their feet. Cormier with a front kick. Henderson almost trips Cormier to the mat. They clinch near the fence and the round ends. 10-9 Cormier.
Round 2: Henderson jabbing, trying to set up that power right hand. He throws it, but doesn’t land. He shoots in, Cormier defends and gets on top. Cormier in side control. He transitions to back mount, Henderson scrambles away. Cormier stays on him, throwing punches to the body, elbows to Hendo’s head. Cormier roughing Hendo up, but not coming close to a stoppage yet. Henderson covering up as Cornier continues to slug him in the head. Cormier with an elbow to the ribs. Cormier beating Hendo up from every position on the ground. He holds on until the horn. The crowd boos it.
Round 3: Cormier throwing out kicks high and low, then basically throws Henderson over his head like a goddamned pro wrestler (GIF PLEASE), and kicks out Hendo’s feet when he tries to get up. Cormier back on top, scoring points with his ground and pound…but not putting Henderson away, and getting booed as a result. Cormier gets bored beating Hendo against the fence, so he pulls him away from the fence and continues to beat him. Cormier sinks his hooks for a rear-naked choke attempt, and puts Henderson face down on the mat. Cormier squeezes, and Henderson goes out before he can tap. My goodness.
Daniel Cormier def. Dan Henderson via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:53 of round 3
Cormier grabs the stick during the post-fight interview and calls out light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones, telling the champ he can’t hide from him. (“Hurry up, because I’m getting better.”) Cormier vows to take Jones down over and over again. I’d watch that. Henderson says he might compete at middleweight going forward, which isn’t a bad idea. Retiring wouldn’t be a bad idea either, but I doubt that’s in the cards.
Renan Barao vs. TJ Dillashaw
Dillashaw is a “monkey style fighter,” I guess. Neither fighter has been taken down in their UFC careers.
Round 1: Dillashaw bouncing around in Dominick Cruz-esque fashion. He lands a quick low kick, and a nice counter punch as Barao advances. Dillashaw with a head kick. Barao returns a body kick. Low kick from Dillashaw, and a big uppercut. Dillashaw tags Barao with a left hand as Barao was loading up for a kick. Barao tries a spinning kick and lands hard with a right hand. Nice switch low kick from Dillashaw. Dillashaw ducks under a Barao punch and scores with a pair of punches. Inside leg kick Dillashaw. Barao lands an outside leg kick. Dillashaw lands a punch that FLOORS Barao. Dillashaw swarms and Barao threatens with a leg lock, but Dillashaw shakes out and jumps on Barao’s back, looking for a neck crank. Barao escapes and Dillashaw fires a head kick as the round ends. Wow. That was a 10-9 for Dillashaw (!?), close to a 10-8.
Round 2: Barao keeping Dillashaw at bay with front kicks. Barao lands a punch and a knee. Okay, he’s back in the fight. Dillashaw is cut near his right temple. Dillashaw lands a sharp right, and Barao gives two right back. Barao lands a nice counter as Dillashaw charges in. Dillashaw with a leg kick, and a high kick that’s caught. Good punches from Dillashaw. Barao misses a spinning back kick but lands a follow-up right hand. Dillashaw shoots, and almost gets Barao to the mat, but Barao springs up. Barao kicks Dillashaw directly in the cup, and Dillashaw needs a break. He’s back in after a minute. Dillashaw still throwing with speed and power. He drills Barao with a right straight. They trade kicks. Body kick Dillashaw. Inside leg kick Barao. Barao lands a series of head-punches. Dillashaw digs a hook to the body. Dillashaw fires punches to the head and body as the round ends. Another 10-9 for Dilly.
Round 3: Both guys still keeping a crazy fast pace in round three. Dillashaw dodges a front kick and reappears behind Barao to punish him with punches. They trade low kicks. Barao misses a high kick. Dillashaw with a body kick, but eats a counter punch. Dillashaw lands a punch, a head kick, another punch. Barao is getting bombed on. He fires a body kick, not out of it yet. Another body kick. Dillashaw with a switch kick to the leg, and a burst of punches behind it. Great head kick from Dillashaw. Dillashaw might have been kicked in the balls again, but he slaps fists with Barao and continues fighting. Dillashaw unloads on Barao against the fence. Barao looks shaky on his feet. Oddly, Dillashaw decides to clinch instead of firing more punches, and the round expires. 10-9 Dillashaw.
Round 4: Dillashaw goes for a single-leg right off the bat. He lands his reliable left head kick. Dillashaw attacking with punches and lands a hard body kick. Dillashaw with a nasty left hand and another kick. Barao misses a spinning back kick and Dillashaw makes him pay with counter punches. Barao lands a good punch in a striking exchange, but Dillashaw resets and goes back to his domination on the feet. They clinch against the fence. Barao rolls out, but slips during a firefight and Dillashaw gets on top of him. Barao tries to grab a leg when he gets a chance, but no dice. Elbows from the top from Dillashaw. There’s the horn. It’s 4-0 Dillashaw going into round 5. One more, and he’ll earn one of the most unexpected shutouts in UFC history.
Round 5: Both guys jabbing. Hook to the body from Barao, Dillashaw returns a kick to the body. Barao misses his spinning kick again, and Dillashaw pops him. Sharp leg kick from Dillashaw. More Cruz-esque footwork from TJ, and Barao is baffled. Dillashaw dodges a series of punches like a damn white Anderson Silva. He lands a head kick, follows it up with a storm of punches, and Barao is on his back after eating a point-blank left straight. Dillashaw jumps all over Barao, raining down right hands until the ref jumps in. Absolutely crazy. TJ Dillashaw is the new UFC bantamweight champion, and Renan Barao never had a chance.
TJ Dillashaw def. Renan Barao via TKO, 2:26 of round 5
Joe Rogan calls it the greatest performance he’s ever seen. Without a doubt, we just witnessed something special. Did anybody give TJ a chance here? Dillashaw came out of nowhere and became an elite-level world-beater in a single night. Good for him. He believed in himself even if few others did.
Former Pride and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson may be just 1-3 in his past four fights, but he still has his eye on wearing UFC gold before he hangs up the four-ounce gloves for good.
Following a stunning come-from-behind knockout over Mauri…
Former Pride and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson may be just 1-3 in his past four fights, but he still has his eye on wearing UFC gold before he hangs up the four-ounce gloves for good.
Following a stunning come-from-behind knockout over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in March, “Hendo” is improbably one victory away from a title shot, though that’s a big if, given that the undefeated Daniel Cormier is in his way.
The 43-year-old fight veteran welcomes the challenge at UFC 173 this Saturday though, telling Yahoo Sports that he still believes he can sit atop the UFC’s light heavyweight throne.
“First it’s Shogun and now its Cormier,” Henderson said. “Which is fine. I welcome it. That’s the reason I fight, is to fight the top guys … “It motivates me a lot,” he said about winning a UFC title. “That’s the last goal I haven’t achieved in the sport. It would be nice to accomplish that and I just want to make sure I give myself every chance to do that. I think I’m right on the right track to do that. I feel great and I’m confident this fight will do it.”
After four straight wins between December 2010 and November 2011, Henderson was actually slated to meet 205-pound kingpin Jon Jones at UFC 151 in September 2012.
Unfortunately, the Team Quest co-founder suffered a knee injury just days before the event and the pay-per-view card was ultimately cancelled, per UFC.com.
While Henderson has come up on the short end of tough matchups between Rashad Evans, LyotoMachida and VitorBelfort recently, he remains ranked the No. 6 light heavyweight in the UFC’s official rankings.
Cormier, the No. 4 light heavyweight according to the UFC, is 14-0 (nine finishes) as a professional mixed martial artist.
“DC” made his first weight cut to 205 pounds at UFC 170 in February, making short work of the relatively unknown Patrick Cummins.
As a heavyweight, Cormier recorded convincing wins over the likes of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, Roy Nelson and former UFC heavyweight champs Josh Barnett and Frank Mir.
Is it realistic to believe Henderson could still challenge for the light heavyweight strap, or are the 17-year fight veteran’s best days in the cage clearly behind him?
JohnHeinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com
The UFC returns to Las Vegas for UFC 173, and the event will be headlined by a bantamweight title clash between champion Renan Barao and No. 4-ranked TJ Dillashaw.
Also in action, Dan Henderson and Daniel Cormier battle it out in a light heavyweight ti…
The UFC returns to Las Vegas for UFC 173, and the event will be headlined by a bantamweight title clash between champion Renan Barao and No. 4-ranked TJ Dillashaw.
Also in action, Dan Henderson and Daniel Cormier battle it out in a light heavyweight title eliminator, and No. 1-ranked welterweight contender Robbie Lawler battles No. 5-ranked Jake Ellenberger.
UFC 173 Weigh-In Results
UFC Bantamweight Championship: Renan Barao (135) vs. TJ Dillashaw (135)
Since before he even arrived in the UFC, we’ve been spinning intricate yarns about the future of Daniel Cormier.
In a sport as wily and unpredictable as this one we should probably know better than that by now, but Cormier has always seemed like …
Since before he even arrived in the UFC, we’ve been spinning intricate yarns about the future of Daniel Cormier.
In a sport as wily and unpredictable as this one we should probably know better than that by now, but Cormier has always seemed like a special case.
There is no one in the current MMA landscape who better reminds us of watching the ascendance of fighters like Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and—yep—Jon Jones than DC.
Before they were champions, we had a feeling about those guys—that special inkling that they would achieve greatness. Cormier has that too, in buckets.
The script we’ve written for the 35-year-old former Olympian reaches the end of its second act on Saturday at UFC 173, where he’ll batter considerable underdogDan Henderson and assume the mantle as No. 1 contender for the light heavyweight title.
You know, unless he doesn’t.
After dispatching Henderson, Cormier will wait to see who emerges from Jon Jones’ late summer rematch with Alexander Gustafsson.
By the end of the year—or maybe Super Bowl weekend—his chance to win MMA’s marquee championship will finally come around.
Unless it doesn’t.
Every tangible factor casts the UFC 173 co-main event as nothing more than the final, perfunctory hurdle between Cormier and top contender status.
However, perhaps the strangest thing about this sport is the way it so often takes a hammer to the surest things. It routinely makes fools of us for pretending we know what happens next.
Henderson is a universally respected MMA legend, but at 43 years old, he’s essentially on his farewell tour, slumping to a 1-3 record during the last 15 months.
Two of those losses were admittedly split decisions, but the one victory—over Shogun Rua in March—came after 11 minutes of Henderson looking like he already had one foot in retirement.
Meanwhile, Cormier has jetted to a 14-0 overall record (3-0 in the UFC) more or less unchallenged. His 205-pound debut against replacement opponent Patrick Cummins at UFC 170 told us next to nothing about how he’ll fare at this weight, but only because he stomped Cummins with exactly the ease and effectiveness we expected.
He’s younger than Hendo, more complete and the better athlete. So, why worry?
Because this is the guy. This is the guy we want to see challenge Jones for the belt. We know it. We feel it. We crave it.
Yet this is MMA, so there’s still a chance things all go horribly wrong for Cormier this year.
Henderson may be one-dimensional, but he packs hand-grenade power in his punches and retains the cowboy confidence to throw them without conscience or concern for the consequences.
If he catches Cormier slipping in the early going, then the farewell tour we mentioned a moment ago could end with Henderson getting that title shot instead.
In addition to that, this matchup smacks of one Cormier never wanted.
He told USA Today (h/t MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco) that he’s not looking forward to fighting Henderson, a professional role model of his. He really only took the fight rather than spend 12 months on the shelf waiting for Jones and Gustafsson to finish their business.
I wasn’t exactly happy about it. I would much rather not fight Dan Henderson. He’s a guy that I’ve looked up to for a long time.
Dan is the first guy I can go into the cage with and say this guy’s done everything that I’ve done, and he’s actually done things at a much higher level than I have.
We know Cormier is as mentally tough as they come. He’ll trudge out there and go to battle with one of his heroes, but if you’re looking for a reason to draw this as a dangerous fight for him, maybe you just read it.
Even if everything goes according to plan—his, ours—this weekend, Cormier will still have an excruciatingly long wait before he gets the opportunity to fulfill his promise.
Eight months may as well be an eternity in MMA time, and a couple of major factors still have to fall into place before he would fight for the title.
Namely, the Jones-Gustafsson fight must go off as scheduled, result in a conclusive finish and the winner must emerge free of any injury serious enough to cause a delay. Depending on how you look at it, that’s either the standard run of play for MMA or a very tall order considering the current state of things.
On a personal level, we like Cormier. We want the best for him. If you don’t, well, that’s your right as a paying customer, but there’s probably something wrong with you.
On the professional side, he seems like the sort of talent that simply must not be wasted. The analysts in all of us want to see how high he can fly.
A lot of dominoes still have to tumble to make the year we’ve scripted for him in our heads become a reality. For the good of the sport—and the sheer fun of it—we hope it does, though even the best among us are merely guessing at the ending.
The UFC is heading back to the fight capital of the world for UFC 173—Las Vegas.
Headlining the latest offering will be a bantamweight championship bout between No. 4-ranked TJ Dillashaw and champion Renan Barao.
Barao has been dominant in recent…
The UFC is heading back to the fight capital of the world for UFC 173—Las Vegas.
Headlining the latest offering will be a bantamweight championship bout between No. 4-ranked TJ Dillashaw and champion RenanBarao.
Barao has been dominant in recent years. He is on a 22-fight win streak and is unbeaten in his last 33 fights. Has fighting the cream of the crop limited his finishing abilities? Absolutely not. He has finished his opponents in each of his title defenses.
Dillashaw comes in winning five of his last six bouts, and his lone loss in that span was a contentious decision to No. 2-ranked Raphael Assuncao that earned Fight of the Night honors.
Also in action, Dan Henderson and Daniel Cormier battle it out in a light heavyweight title eliminator.
The goal with these previews is to help you make informed decisions, not to give you the biggest underdogs. No one wants you to toss money away. If you do just want to toss a few bones and have fun, I’ve included a parlay opportunity at the end.
Ready to break down your betting chances for UFC 173? Here we go.
Daniel Cormier continued his march toward a potential UFC Light Heavyweight Championship fight as he defeated Dan Henderson in impressive fashion at UFC 173 Saturday night.
