Tag: daniel cormier

Six Massive UFC Fights That Could Actually Happen in 2014


(Meanwhile, Alex’s friends were parked outside with a giant magnet. / Photo via Getty)

By Nasir Jabbar

With Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Cain Velasquez all currently out of action due to injuries or bitter hiatuses, UFC executives will be scratching their heads trying to come up with marquee fights in 2014. But amidst this gloom, there are a few massive fights that could still happen. Some are more realistic than others, but if the stars align, these matchups would no doubt fill the void. Let’s run them down in order of probability…

Major fights within reach

Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 2 or Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier: Very few gave Gustafsson the chance to last twenty-five minutes with the champ, let alone nearly dethrone him. The two engaged in a thrilling yet technical battle at UFC 165, which was as entertaining as it was controversial — making a rematch very interesting and potentially lucrative for the UFC. Prior to his first meeting with the Mauler, Jones had dominated every one of his opponents, which led to the New Yorker searching for his “Frazier”, the worthy rival who would define his legacy. Gustafsson could very much play that role as they look to meet again.

On the other hand, Daniel Cormier could play that role just as well. Unlike Gustafsson, Cormier has a genuine dislike towards Jones which would only add hype towards the fight. But, of course, the two potential challengers would have to get by Jimi Manuwa and Rashad Evans, respectively, to get their title shots. And of course there’s a hard-hitting Brazilian named Glover Teixeira who might derail these plans altogether.

Jose Aldo vs. BJ Penn: Incredibly, Penn is looking to become a three-weight world champion as he embarks on his unexpected new life as a featherweight. Before his year-long break from the sport, Penn had been fighting at welterweight without much success. (He hasn’t won a match since his quick knockout of Matt Hughes back in November 2010.) Penn will make his 145-pound debut against old rival Frankie Edgar as he looks to avenge, not one, but two defeats. Even though there is a connection between Penn and Aldo’s head coach Andre Pederneiras, the Prodigy would surely jump at the chance to compete for a belt.


(Meanwhile, Alex’s friends were parked outside with a giant magnet. / Photo via Getty)

By Nasir Jabbar

With Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Cain Velasquez all currently out of action due to injuries or bitter hiatuses, UFC executives will be scratching their heads trying to come up with marquee fights in 2014. But amidst this gloom, there are a few massive fights that could still happen. Some are more realistic than others, but if the stars align, these matchups would no doubt fill the void. Let’s run them down in order of probability…

Major fights within reach

Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 2 or Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier: Very few gave Gustafsson the chance to last twenty-five minutes with the champ, let alone nearly dethrone him. The two engaged in a thrilling yet technical battle at UFC 165, which was as entertaining as it was controversial — making a rematch very interesting and potentially lucrative for the UFC. Prior to his first meeting with the Mauler, Jones had dominated every one of his opponents, which led to the New Yorker searching for his “Frazier”, the worthy rival who would define his legacy. Gustafsson could very much play that role as they look to meet again.

On the other hand, Daniel Cormier could play that role just as well. Unlike Gustafsson, Cormier has a genuine dislike towards Jones which would only add hype towards the fight. But, of course, the two potential challengers would have to get by Jimi Manuwa and Rashad Evans, respectively, to get their title shots. And of course there’s a hard-hitting Brazilian named Glover Teixeira who might derail these plans altogether.

Jose Aldo vs. BJ Penn: Incredibly, Penn is looking to become a three-weight world champion as he embarks on his unexpected new life as a featherweight. Before his year-long break from the sport, Penn had been fighting at welterweight without much success. (He hasn’t won a match since his quick knockout of Matt Hughes back in November 2010.) Penn will make his 145-pound debut against old rival Frankie Edgar as he looks to avenge, not one, but two defeats. Even though there is a connection between Penn and Aldo’s head coach Andre Pederneiras, the Prodigy would surely jump at the chance to compete for a belt.

Lately, the UFC has had a hard time finding opponents for Aldo who are stars in their own right. Booking BJ Penn to challenge Aldo would certainly solve that problem, so don’t be surprised if Penn skips the entire featherweight contender line to get a shot at Aldo, if he manages to beat Edgar. Making this matchup more credible is that Aldo has once again been flirting with the idea of moving up to 155lbs. A fight against Penn would be a perfect way for Aldo to build interest before jumping up to lightweight himself for a super-fight against the reigning champion.

Stranger things have happened

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber III: Its been over two years since Cruz has set foot inside the Octagon. Since then, the UFC has created two new divisions (flyweight and women’s bantamweight) with another on its way, and Cruz’s last opponent became the champion at 125 pounds. But through all the changes, one thing has remained the same: Urijah Faber is still the most marketable fighter south of 155 pounds. The UFC had been eager to book a rubber match between Faber and Cruz — it was supposed to happen at UFC 148 then got scratched  — but Cruz’s injuries have turned it into a longshot.

The best word to describe everyone’s emotions connected to Cruz is “gutted.” Cruz has had a rough time of late with two back-to-back knee surgeries and now a groin tear which effectively forfeited his title to Renan Barao. If Faber can pull off the upset against Barao, a rubber match against Cruz (who is set to be only out for 6-8 weeks before resuming full training) could be the biggest “smaller” weight class fight in the promotion’s history.

Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler 2: Diaz was last seen in the Octagon losing to GSP in March of last year, and since then he’s been semi-retired. The Stockton bad-boy may have turned down the opportunity to rematch Carlos Condit but 2014 could see him back in the cage if Ronda Rousey’s comments are anything to go by. And lets be honest — the game needs him. Hendricks vs. Lawler is a great fight on paper but you know it’s not going to be the kind of pay-per-view bonanza that GSP’s fights generally were. Diaz would bring eyeballs back to the welterweight division with his one-of-a-kind trash-talk and exciting, taunting fighting style.

It seems Diaz isn’t budging for anything other than a UFC title shot which would seem bizarre considering he’s on a two fight losing skid. But then again he got a title shot after losing a fight, and ended up generating nearly a million pay-per-view buys in his fight against GSP. In the business-first era of the UFC, the promotion may become desperate and just offer Diaz a title shot — especially if it’s against a guy that Diaz already has history with. Fans may complain that Diaz didn’t “earn” it, but it would be an intriguing fight. If there truly was an MMA God, we would see the sequel between Diaz and Lawler for the welterweight title in 2014.

Super-fights; very slim chances

Ronda Rousey vs. Cris Cyborg: Rousey is arguably the biggest star the UFC has right now. The polarizing figure attracts a ton of media attention, even in mainstream outlets that don’t normally cover the sport. There are virtually no fighters outside of the UFC who could compete with Rowdy inside the Octagon, but Cris Cyborg is definitely one of them. The bout would pose a classic stylistic match-up between the stand-up wrecking machine against the highly technical judo wizard.

The fight becomes even more marketable and hype-worthy when you add that Cyborg defeated the original face of WMMA, Cyborg’s past failed drug test, and the heel-manager known as Tito Ortiz. (Honestly, the matchup is like an awesome/terrible pro-wrestling storyline.) When you look for fights that could break the one-million buys barrier, Rousey vs. Cyborg could very well become the 8th UFC pay-per-view to do so. Now we just have to convince Cyborg’s doctor to sign off on it.

Anderson Silva vs. George St-Pierre: If and when either man does return to the sport, it would be huge news. If they did against one another, it would be monumental. Their superfight may be a year or two late, but you can’t deny the amount of interest and buzz this fight would generate. GSP is on an indefinite leave from MMA but is still training and could be lured back in with a super-fight with Silva. Anderson’s managers Ed Soares and Jorge Guimares have always been keen on the match-up against the former welterweight champion, and Silva’s recovery from the broken leg he suffered at UFC 168 has been remarkable so far, with Dana White recently tweeting that he will be off crutches by next month. The UFC normally ends the year with a bang, and Silva vs. GSP just might be that fight to end 2014.

UFC: Should It Be Able to Decide a Fighter’s Weight Class?

With the UFC staging more events than ever in 2014 while spreading out globally, it would seem that before long every weight class will be bursting with talent, like coffers overfilled in a candy store.
Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a time when an…

With the UFC staging more events than ever in 2014 while spreading out globally, it would seem that before long every weight class will be bursting with talent, like coffers overfilled in a candy store.

Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a time when any fighter would be forced to compete in a specific weight class. To even entertain the question leaves fans scratching their heads as to why anyone would ponder such an improbability.

I confess that I never thought about it myself until I overheard the notion spoken of by a group of very demanding fans at a bar.

Consider the case of current heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.

When he comes back from his injury, it does not seem as though there will be anyone in his division with the style and skills to beat him.

That wouldn’t be the case if Daniel Cormier were fighting at heavyweight. Cormier is perhaps the only heavyweight that looks like he could match Velasquez from a style-versus-style perspective.

Imagine if the UFC had the power to mandate not only teammate vs. teammate fights, but the divisions in which a fighter fought?

If such were the case, the UFC could demand that Cormier not only stay at heavyweight, but that he fight his teammate for the heavyweight title.

Now, in this situation, would the best interests of the belt be served? Yes, they would—the belt deserves to be contested by the very best because it is both the ideal and the standard.

However, the best interests of the title are also really only served when the fighters are at their best, training with others who bring out the very best in them. That is where this hypothetical comes off the rails.

As it stands, fighters migrate toward camps that have the best trainers and training partners for obvious reasons. If the UFC had the power to make fighters fight at certain weights, then fighters would be looking to train at camps where they would not have to contend with the turmoil that comes from training with a probable opponent.

In doing so, they would see the level of their game diminished because their new training partners pose no true threat to them in a professional sense. Of course, this would also necessitate fighters to switch camps more often since today’s novice can quickly become tomorrow’s contender.

No longer would the option of switching weight classes in order to preserve a heightened level of training be an option. Thus, fighters would switch camps and have to start the process of integrating themselves into a new training dynamic all over again.

Forward progress would be stalled in favor of acclimation to a new environment, which would probably be temporary as the fighters in the new camp grew in skill and became the next big threat.

Stability is one of the most valuable things in a fighter’s life—at home and in the gym. It allows for fighters to be at their very best and also promotes ambition, which is one of the cornerstones of a great fighter.

If the UFC could control fighters so totally, their dreams of glory would be second to their need to simply survive in a profession that is in near-constant flux as it is.

Who can honestly assume that men like Velasquez and Cormier would be as good in MMA as they are now if they were constantly worrying about having to face each other?

In such a scenario, would they hide certain things from each other in order to have an advantage in the future? Would they really be about the business of sharpening each other to a razor’s edge when that razor may be used on them in the future?

Probably not.

The life of a fighter is hectic enough as it is. To assume that “necessity is the mother of invention” applies to all cases is terribly shortsighted. Fighters uprooting their lives to roam from camp to camp isn’t adaptation, it’s upheaval.

Ours is a sport that already demands a great deal from the men and women who ply it as their trade. To ask for more is to show that we don’t appreciate what we already have.

And that is our problem, not theirs.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Rashad Evans: Daniel Cormier ‘Scared to Text Me’

As one of the most intriguing fights of 2014, Rashad Evans and Daniel Cormier are set to do battle as the co-main event at a Ronda Rousey-charged UFC 170.
Their light heavyweight bout has massive title implications as Cormier is making his division deb…

As one of the most intriguing fights of 2014, Rashad Evans and Daniel Cormier are set to do battle as the co-main event at a Ronda Rousey-charged UFC 170.

Their light heavyweight bout has massive title implications as Cormier is making his division debut following back-to-back one-sided victories at heavyweight.

Considering “Suga” and “DC” are two of the most athletic fighters in the world, sparks shall fly on Feb. 22.  But that doesn’t mean the UFC Tonight co-hosts will remain all buddy-buddy leading up to Fight Night.

“I think he’s kind of scared to text me now,” said Evans in a recent interview with MMA Junkie Radio. “But the thing about it is, you’ve got to put it on hold. You can’t be palling around, because it’s a fight. If I allow myself to think any other way than he’s someone who’s trying to separate me from consciousness, I’ve already lost.”

If you remember, Evans just fought another one of his MMA pals as he absolutely destroyed Chael Sonnen at UFC 167.  Leading up to their fight the former champion made numerous suggestions about Sonnen being the aggressive outlet for countless weeks of training, not eating and not seeing his kids, so this time should be no different.

As far as Cormier is concerned, he hasn’t cut this much weight since his days as an Olympic standout.

“He couldn’t make 211 (pounds) five years ago or so for the Olympics, so it’s going to be hard if he’s a little bit older,” added Evans. “So it’s going to be hard, but maybe he has discipline now that he didn’t have then.”

In any case, Cormier should provide Evans with one of his toughest fights to date.  Even after dropping all that weight, the former Strikeforce king still possesses the best wrestling in MMA and very heavy hands.

“Man, I hope it will be a big factor,” said Evans regarding the potential speed difference.  “But you never know. I can just imagine the transition from going against a guy who is fast and is one of the smaller (guys) at light heavyweight, versus going with the guys that he’s used to going against with heavyweights”

 

For more UFC news and coverage,

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UFC: Can Daniel Cormier Be a Star in the Promotion?

Daniel Cormier is a funny customer.
He’s an undefeated heavyweight at a time (and in a sport) where that’s not a routine commodity.
He’s an Olympian wrestler with the type of track record and character that most people could only dream of.
He can talk …

Daniel Cormier is a funny customer.

He’s an undefeated heavyweight at a time (and in a sport) where that’s not a routine commodity.

He’s an Olympian wrestler with the type of track record and character that most people could only dream of.

He can talk a little trash when he wants, and it’s usually more clever than the standard “Imma beat that dude bad” that’s shown up on more than one UFC Countdown special.

He’s made the deft career decision to drop a weight class, where he’ll be met by longtime contender Rashad Evans. Pass that test, and he’ll fight Jon Jones for the 205-pound title at some point in 2014.

And yet people don’t really seem to care that much.

There isn’t even really a great reason for it. They just don’t seem to care.

Coming off of his surprise win in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix a couple of years ago, Cormier had hype. He’d walked into that tournament as an alternate and romped to the crown, starching Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and trouncing Josh Barnett.

But long delays between fights and uninteresting showings when he has been in the cage have hurt his marketability. It isn’t as easy to sell Cormier as it was before he was in the UFC, which is both backwards and bewildering.

The encouraging part, though? Jones being on the horizon. Many have tipped Cormier as the last great hope to dethrone the light heavyweight king, particularly if Swedish slugger Alex Gustafsson can’t get it right on his second try sometime this year.

It’s a fight that’s interesting because of Cormier’s skills and how they mesh with those of the champion, and also because the two genuinely seem to dislike one another. Jones has come to embrace his heel persona, and Cormier has proved he has enough silver in his tongue to ruffle his feathers.

In terms of a recipe for stardom, a bout between Jones and Cormier places all the ingredients on the table. It’s up to those two to mix them all up and throw them in the oven.

If that mix goes awry for Cormier though—be it in his lead-up to a Jones fight, his performance once he gets there or should he blow it before he ever gets that chance by losing to Evans—that’s basically the end of the line.

Not for him as a fighter, but definitely for him as a draw.

He’s simply not going to have a better chance at a star-making turn than in a fight with Jones, and turning 35 this year doesn’t give him much time for second chances anyway.

Thus, that’s what it boils down to for Daniel Cormier in his quest for MMA stardom: Get your fight with Jon Jones, or fade into bolivian. It’s not about his perfect record or his Olympic background or his personality, it’s about getting to Jones, getting that spotlight and getting that cheddar.

That’s not an easy road. But if being a star was easy, everyone would do it.

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Daniel Cormier vs. Rashad Evans: Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Daniel Cormier will make his light heavyweight debut at UFC 170 when he meets former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans in the main event.
The five-round bout is booked for UFC 170 on Feb. 22 in Las Vegas.
Alexander Gustafsson leads the field …

Daniel Cormier will make his light heavyweight debut at UFC 170 when he meets former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans in the main event.

The five-round bout is booked for UFC 170 on Feb. 22 in Las Vegas.

Alexander Gustafsson leads the field for who gets the next title shot at 205 pounds, but he will have to beat Jimi Manuwa to earn that distinction. Cormier and Evans are right behind him in the pecking order, and a big win at UFC 170 could put either of their names opposite the champion’s in 2014.

There is a lot on the line for the two Fox Sports analysts, and it will be one of the most intriguing matchups in all of 2014.

Here s an early preview of the important tilt which could have title implications.

Begin Slideshow

Like a Contract, But Not Exactly: Why Long Term Deals Are Terrible For UFC Fighters


(Sanchez’s contract is officially for eight more fights, but the UFC reserves the right to take him out behind the shed at any time and put him out of his misery. / Photo via Getty)

By Jon Mariani

With Daniel Cormier and Diego Sanchez both inking new eight-fight deals with the UFC recently, following an eyebrow-raising 10-fight contract extension for Anderson Silva earlier this year, long-term contracts have become a disturbing trend in the UFC. And it begs the question: “Why everybody’s doing that? Why?”

MMA contracts are unique among professional sports, in the sense that long-term agreements aren’t necessarily beneficial to the athletes. The deals that Cormier and Sanchez signed with the UFC bear absolutely no resemblance to the 15-year, $67.5 million dollar “lottery ticket” that NHL goalie Rick DiPietro signed in 2006. After failing to live up to expectations, DiPietro’s contract was bought out in 2013, at $1.5 million a year for the next 16 years.

That’s what a contract is, after all — an employer’s obligation to pay a certain amount of money for services rendered. What the UFC offers its fighters is something different. It’s like a contract, but not exactly, and it results from the uniquely lopsided power structure in this sport, where there’s essentially one major-league team and no player’s union.

In MMA if you fail to live up to expectations and lose fights, your contract can simply be terminated at any time, and for a variety of reasons. When Eddie Alvarez‘s contract was made public, outsiders got a chance to see the long list of scenarios in which the UFC can cut an athlete loose. As the article’s author Jonathan Snowden notes “So, all those UFC contracts that claim to be for eight or 10 fights? That’s only true if you keep winning. Otherwise, the contract is only as long as the UFC wants it to be.”

A quote from that article, from Northwestern University labor law professor Zev Eigen, shows how imbalanced contracts are for UFC fighters:


(Sanchez’s contract is officially for eight more fights, but the UFC reserves the right to take him out behind the shed at any time and put him out of his misery. / Photo via Getty)

By Jon Mariani

With Daniel Cormier and Diego Sanchez both inking new eight-fight deals with the UFC recently, following an eyebrow-raising 10-fight contract extension for Anderson Silva earlier this year, long-term contracts have become a disturbing trend in the UFC. And it begs the question: “Why everybody’s doing that? Why?”

MMA contracts are unique among professional sports, in the sense that long-term agreements aren’t necessarily beneficial to the athletes. The deals that Cormier and Sanchez signed with the UFC bear absolutely no resemblance to the 15-year, $67.5 million dollar “lottery ticket” that NHL goalie Rick DiPietro signed in 2006. After failing to live up to expectations, DiPietro’s contract was bought out in 2013, at $1.5 million a year for the next 16 years.

That’s what a contract is, after all — an employer’s obligation to pay a certain amount of money for services rendered. What the UFC offers its fighters is something different. It’s like a contract, but not exactly, and it results from the uniquely lopsided power structure in this sport, where there’s essentially one major-league team and no player’s union.

In MMA if you fail to live up to expectations and lose fights, your contract can simply be terminated at any time, and for a variety of reasons. When Eddie Alvarez‘s contract was made public, outsiders got a chance to see the long list of scenarios in which the UFC can cut an athlete loose. As the article’s author Jonathan Snowden notes “So, all those UFC contracts that claim to be for eight or 10 fights? That’s only true if you keep winning. Otherwise, the contract is only as long as the UFC wants it to be.”

A quote from that article, from Northwestern University labor law professor Zev Eigen, shows how imbalanced contracts are for UFC fighters:

“The term unilaterally benefits the employer with no reciprocal benefit to the fighter. It’s completely one-sided, completely unfair and seems to suggest that any term is a material term for purposes of the employer. Every breach could be a material breach for the fighter, but nothing is for the UFC.”

So when 38-year-old ex-champ Anderson Silva signs a 10-fight contract after his first loss in the company, we shouldn’t interpret it as a show of good faith or support from his bosses. That’s just the UFC saying, “We’ve got you until you decide to retire, and if you try to work for a competing promotion after you leave, we’ll sue you just like we sued Randy.”

But what if you keep winning all your fights? In that case, you are locked into the pay scale that you agreed to at the beginning of your contract. Presumably your market value will go up as you win fights and challenge for titles, but if your market value exceeds what you are currently getting paid, you can’t really capitalize on it. You can try to re-negotiate your contract, and maybe the UFC will agree to it. Or maybe Dana White will tell everyone about your ridiculous request and publicly trash you during one of his media scrums.

The value of having another high-paying organization in the MMA landscape like Bellator (or OneFC, apparently) is that you can use their offer to leverage a higher paying contract out of the UFC. However, if you are tied to a long-term deal, you can’t take advantage of it. As Cage Potato writer Brian D’Souza pointed out, if UFC fighters are tied up to long-term deals, “No other promoter can enter the big leagues of MMA unless they build their own stars or wait 3-4 years.” Having fighters sign long-term contracts is really only a benefit to the UFC, and it’s a massive benefit.

So was Tito Ortiz right in having Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Justino turn down a deal with the UFC? One of the major reasons the contract fell apart was the UFC’s insistence that the contract be for eight fights. Cyborg instead decided to ink a deal with Invicta FC. Having won both of her Invicta fights, as well as a perplexing Muay Thai fight in the middle of Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Cyborg has increased her market value. When initially negotiating with the UFC, “their negotiating leverage was taken away by Cyborg’s inactivity and positive steroid result,” according to Primetime 360 partner George Prajin. With a fair amount of recent competitive activity and the failed drug test a distant memory, Cyborg is now in a much stronger position to negotiate with the UFC than she was before. It’s hard to admit, but this may have been Tito Ortiz’s most brilliant move, apart from installing security cameras inside his house.

An eight-fight contract for Daniel Cormier, Diego Sanchez, or any other UFC fighter is not job security, even though it may sound like that to people who don’t follow the business of the sport. We’ve racked our brains trying to think of another professional entity with a similar employer/employee dynamic, and the closest example that comes to mind is the military, where they can give you a dishonorable discharge if you screw up, but you can’t just leave any time you want like a normal “at will” job.

That’s just something to keep in mind for all you MMA fighters out there. If the UFC offers you a long term contract, you’re not being hired — you’re enlisting.