Tag: daniel cormier

The Winner of Daniel Cormier vs. Dan Henderson (Daniel Cormier) to Receive Light Heavyweight Title Shot…After Gustafsson


(Age before…well, youth I guess. BA-DUM-TSH)

We weren’t the only ones left scratching our heads when it was announced that Dan Henderson and Daniel Cormier would meet at UFC 175. It’s not that we felt the fight is a squash match or anything, because Henderson’s victory over Mauricio Rua at Fight Night 38 proved that he is never one to be counted out entirely. It’s just that, well, up until the point that Hendo turned Rua’s nose into a pancake, he looked every bit as stiff and sluggish as one would expect a 43-year-old MMA fighter with nearly as many battles on his resume to look.

Couple Henderson’s recent performance(s) with the fact that Cormier is a much younger (in fight years, at least), stronger, and faster version of Rua, and that the matchup will serve as Henderson’s first sans-TRT, and you might begin to understand our surprise at the booking of this fight…

If you all will excuse me…


(Age before…well, youth I guess. BA-DUM-TSH)

We weren’t the only ones left scratching our heads when it was announced that Dan Henderson and Daniel Cormier would meet at UFC 175. It’s not that we felt the fight is a squash match or anything, because Henderson’s victory over Mauricio Rua at Fight Night 38 proved that he is never one to be counted out entirely. It’s just that, well, up until the point that Hendo turned Rua’s nose into a pancake, he looked every bit as stiff and sluggish as one would expect a 43-year-old MMA fighter with nearly as many battles on his resume to look.

Couple Henderson’s recent performance(s) with the fact that Cormier is a much younger (in fight years, at least), stronger, and faster version of Rua, and that the matchup will serve as Henderson’s first sans-TRT, and you might begin to understand our surprise at the booking of this fight…

If you all will excuse me…

Clearly, it would be hard to argue against giving Cormier the next title shot after Gustafsson should he defeat Henderson — that is the point of this matchup after all, right? To match Cormier up with a credible, if fading name to establish his legitimacy as a title contender? But the idea that Dan Henderson, who just broke a three-fight losing streak via an improbable comeback over a guy he already beat, seems presumptuous to say the least.

Then again, who knows? Maybe this is just one of those Condit vs. Woodley situations, where the UFC has a contender in mind and is simply sweetening the pot by giving the fight #1 contender (or in this case, #2 contender) status. The difference being that Henderson is a much more marketable fighter than Woodley, and therefore deserves a title shot where Woodley wouldn’t.

I’m not saying that it would be the craziest thing in the world to give Henderson a shot at this point in his career, especially if he is able to somehow get past Cormier. The man’s a legend, he’s earned it, yadda yadda yadda, and lord knows people are still bitter about UFC 151. Having Hendo fight Jones (if he’s still the champ after my boy Gus gets through with him*) would at least partially put that debate to rest, but can you imagine how Phil Davis is going to react to this news? Or, you know, Jones himself?

But as it stands, a 43-year-old who is 1-3 in his last 4 is now one win away from a title shot. Light Heavyweight, ladies and gentlemen.

*Or Glover Teixeira. Let’s not forget about the guy who’s actually fighting Jones next, even though the UFC apparently already has.

–J. Jones  

Winner of Dan Henderson vs. Daniel Cormier Gets a Title Shot

The UFC light heavyweight title scene just got a little more interesting.
On Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight (h/t Dave Doyle and Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com), it was announced that the winner of Dan Henderson vs. Daniel Cormier will ultimately …

The UFC light heavyweight title scene just got a little more interesting.

On Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight (h/t Dave Doyle and Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com), it was announced that the winner of Dan Henderson vs. Daniel Cormier will ultimately get a shot at the 205-pound crown.

Henderson and Cormier are expected to throw down at UFC 175, which features a middleweight title clash between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves. First, Jon Jones will attempt to defend his light heavyweight title for an impressive seventh time as he takes on the more than dangerous Glover Teixeira later this month at UFC 172.

Teixeira may in fact be the toughest test thus far in Jones’ illustrious and highly productive career, so their long-awaited championship bout is most certainly up for grabs.

After that, Alexander Gustafsson will rightfully get the next shot at the belt. The towering Swede went toe-to-toe with Jones back in September at UFC 165, but didn’t earn the decision after putting on one of the gutsiest performances of all time.

He’ll pose a threat to either Jones or Teixeira, as he rides the momentum of his recent second-round finish of hard-nosed Jimi Manuwa back in early March.

Once those title implications and potentially the greatest rematch in UFC history hashes itself out, Henderson or Cormier will be next in line.

For Henderson, a 43-year-old journeyman who many consider the greatest fighter of all time to never hold a UFC title, he will look to regain his divisional footing after mustering a monstrous comeback finish over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua last month in Natal, Brazil.

For Cormier, an undefeated Olympic wrestler hellbent on proving he deserves to fight the best, he’ll attempt to feed off of Henderson’s name and resume in order to not only create buzz amongst fans, but earn a shot at the light heavyweight title by shutting down one of the best of all time.

Now while it may seem crazy to give “Hendo” such an opportunity after dropping three of his last four Octagon appearances, he’s still one of the biggest names in the sport, and the UFC would be downright foolish to not push his remaining potential.

In any case, this is huge news for both men. Cormier has been waiting for this opportunity and will most likely be the best “DC” we’ve ever seen.

But when it really comes down to it, can you ever underestimate the “H-Bomb?”

 

For more UFC news and coverage,

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Daniel Cormier vs. Dan Henderson Winner Gets Title Shot After Gustafsson

A bout between light heavyweights Daniel Cormier and Dan Henderson just got a lot more interesting.
Cormier and Henderson meet at UFC 175 on July 5. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout. It will serve as the co-main event for the event headli…

A bout between light heavyweights Daniel Cormier and Dan Henderson just got a lot more interesting.

Cormier and Henderson meet at UFC 175 on July 5. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout. It will serve as the co-main event for the event headlined by Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida.

Cormier was originally scheduled to face Rafael Cavalcante at the same event. But the promotion opted to give the fight to Henderson after his stunning come-from-behind win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua last month.

Cormier was expected to be next in line for a title shot with a win. But on UFC Tonight, Ariel Helwani reported that the winner of the fight will get the next title shot after Alexander Gustafsson. That includes Henderson, who had lost three consecutive fights before beating Rua.

Cormier is coming off a successful light heavyweight debut at UFC 170, where he beat Patrick Cummins. The win moved his career record to 14-0. All but one of his wins came in the heavyweight division, where he was a top contender. But Cormier opted to leave the division rather than face teammate Cain Velasquez, the UFC’s current heavyweight champion.

UFC 175 is one of the UFC’s hallmark pay-per-view events of the year. It takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas during International Fight Week 2014. The following day, The Ultimate Fighter 19 finale, featuring Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn, will take place in the same venue. It is the third meeting between Edgar and Penn, with Edgar holding two victories. It will also serve as Penn’s featherweight debut after years of competing in higher weight classes.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Report: Dan Henderson vs. Daniel Cormier in the Works for UFC 175


(“Listen buddy, I don’t know who you are, or even where I am right now. There’s a blonde lady standing outside this cage that they put us in, and she says she’s my girlfriend, but I don’t know. Maybe I met her once, in a dream or something. But anyway, you seem like a good man who’s had a bad run of it. We’ll get that nose fixed, put you in some clean clothes — there’s hope, is what I’m saying. There’s always hope. I’m Dan, by the way.” / Photo via Getty)

According to report on MMAFighting, the UFC is looking to set up Dan Henderson vs. Daniel Cormier for UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida, July 5th in Las Vegas. Although there were initial reports that Cormier would face Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante at the event, plans changed in light of Henderson’s comeback win against Mauricio Rua at UFC Fight Night 38. The promotion will likely confirm the Henderson vs. Cormier booking in the coming days.

Without getting too pessimistic about Hendo’s chances, we’ll just say that Cormier will be a strong, strong favorite in this one. Henderson — who will no longer be able to use TRT going forward, and thus, is in for a world of shit — has looked very rough in his last two outings. Against Vitor Belfort last November, his awkward, plodding footwork made him an easy target for a first-round KO, and he was getting his ass handed to him by Shogun until he changed the fight with one punch.


(“Listen buddy, I don’t know who you are, or even where I am right now. There’s a blonde lady standing outside this cage that they put us in, and she says she’s my girlfriend, but I don’t know. Maybe I met her once, in a dream or something. But anyway, you seem like a good man who’s had a bad run of it. We’ll get that nose fixed, put you in some clean clothes — there’s hope, is what I’m saying. There’s always hope. I’m Dan, by the way.” / Photo via Getty)

According to report on MMAFighting, the UFC is looking to set up Dan Henderson vs. Daniel Cormier for UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida, July 5th in Las Vegas. Although there were initial reports that Cormier would face Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante at the event, plans changed in light of Henderson’s comeback win against Mauricio Rua at UFC Fight Night 38. The promotion will likely confirm the Henderson vs. Cormier booking in the coming days.

Without getting too pessimistic about Hendo’s chances, we’ll just say that Cormier will be a strong, strong favorite in this one. Henderson — who will no longer be able to use TRT going forward, and thus, is in for a world of shit — has looked very rough in his last two outings. Against Vitor Belfort last November, his awkward, plodding footwork made him an easy target for a first-round KO, and he was getting his ass handed to him by Shogun until he changed the fight with one punch.

Now 43 years old, Henderson has a lot more mileage on the tires compared to Cormier, 35, who’s still kind of old to be a cage-fighter, but has been fighting professionally for less than five years. As MMAFighting points out, both Henderson and Cormier were members of two different U.S. Olympic wrestling teams — Hendo in 1992 and 1996, DC in 2004 and 2008.

(Dan Henderson with long, wet hair freaks me the hell out. Stop smiling at me like that, bro. You don’t know me.)

Your predictions? Hendo by H-Bomb, or Cormier by having basically every advantage in this matchup?

Daniel Cormier vs. Dan Henderson Targeted for July’s UFC 175 Event

UPDATE: 
Dana White tweeted on Monday evening that Cormier vs. Henderson is not a done deal:

@arielhelwani Ariel is not correct. That fight is not done

Daniel Cormier will not be facing Rafael Cavalcante, after all.
A week after sources close t…

UPDATE: 

Dana White tweeted on Monday evening that Cormier vs. Henderson is not a done deal:

@arielhelwani Ariel is not correct. That fight is not done

Daniel Cormier will not be facing Rafael Cavalcante, after all.

A week after sources close to the promotion confirmed to Bleacher Report that the UFC wanted Cormier to face “Feijao” at UFC 175 in July, the promotion has switched directions. MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani today reported that the UFC has opted to instead offer Cormier a fight with Dan Henderson, who scored an incredible come-from-behind knockout win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua last week.

Helwani also said that if Henderson had turned down the fight, Cormier would still be pitted against Cavalcante.

Sources close to the bout confirmed the news with Bleacher Report on Monday.

UFC 175 is headlined by a middleweight title fight between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida. Sources close to the bout told Bleacher Report that Cormier vs. Henderson is expected to fill the co-main event role. 

UFC 175 is expected to be one of the UFC’s biggest of 2014. It is the cornerstone event for International Fight Week 2014, which also features The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale.

As far as a potential new opponent for Cavalcante, Mike Sawyer of ToughTalkMMA.com speculates that he’ll instead face Ovince St. Preux.

Cormier made his light heavyweight debut last month, beating late replacement Patrick Cummins by TKO in the first round. He is 14-0 thus far in his mixed martial arts career and was one of the UFC’s top heavyweights before electing to drop to 205 pounds.

Henderson has lost three consecutive fights prior to his win, but signed a new long-term contract with the promotion shortly before fighting Rua. 

Both Cormier and Henderson are former members of the United States wrestling team.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Friday Links: The Philosophy of Johny Hendricks, Cormier vs. Cavalcante and MacDonald vs. Woodley in the Works, March Madness Mascotology + More

(Check out this inspiring behind-the-scenes video of Johny Hendricks bouncing back from his loss to Georges St-Pierre to win the welterweight title at UFC 171. / Props: Ask Men)

Daniel Cormier vs. Rafael Cavalcante in the Works for UFC 175 in July (BleacherReport)

This Mike Tyson x Balrog Mash-Up Highlight Is All You Need in Your Life (MiddleEasy)

Stunning New Visions From MMA Ring Girl/Model Sierra Rene (Babes of MMA)

UFC Reportedly Targeting Rory MacDonald vs. Tyron Woodley for UFC 174 (BloodyElbow)

Francis Carmont vs. C.B. Dollaway Co-Headlines UFC Fight Night 41 in Berlin (MMAJunkie)

Mascotology: Predicting This Year’s Sweet Sixteen Winners by Mascot (HolyTaco)

Hottest Webcam Girl of the Year: Vote Now for the Elite 8! (EveryJoe)

7 Reasons the Average Person Would Never Survive in Any Video Game (Guyism)

The Funniest YouTube Comments Ever Posted (PopHangover)

16 Sexiest ‘Game of Thrones’ Moments (Ranker)

Britney Spears Looks Pretty Good in a Bikini, Actually (DrunkenStepfather)

The 25 Funniest Celebrity Photobombs Ever (WorldWideInterweb)

The 50 Best Action Movies of All Time (HiConsumption)

10 Bible Movies Weirder Than ‘Noah’ (EscapistMagazine)


(Check out this inspiring behind-the-scenes video of Johny Hendricks bouncing back from his loss to Georges St-Pierre to win the welterweight title at UFC 171. / Props: Ask Men)

Daniel Cormier vs. Rafael Cavalcante in the Works for UFC 175 in July (BleacherReport)

This Mike Tyson x Balrog Mash-Up Highlight Is All You Need in Your Life (MiddleEasy)

Stunning New Visions From MMA Ring Girl/Model Sierra Rene (Babes of MMA)

UFC Reportedly Targeting Rory MacDonald vs. Tyron Woodley for UFC 174 (BloodyElbow)

Francis Carmont vs. C.B. Dollaway Co-Headlines UFC Fight Night 41 in Berlin (MMAJunkie)

Mascotology: Predicting This Year’s Sweet Sixteen Winners by Mascot (HolyTaco)

Hottest Webcam Girl of the Year: Vote Now for the Elite 8! (EveryJoe)

7 Reasons the Average Person Would Never Survive in Any Video Game (Guyism)

The Funniest YouTube Comments Ever Posted (PopHangover)

16 Sexiest ‘Game of Thrones’ Moments (Ranker)

Britney Spears Looks Pretty Good in a Bikini, Actually (DrunkenStepfather)

The 25 Funniest Celebrity Photobombs Ever (WorldWideInterweb)

The 50 Best Action Movies of All Time (HiConsumption)

10 Bible Movies Weirder Than ‘Noah’ (EscapistMagazine)