Tag: daniel cormier

[VIDEO] Dana White Talks Bad Judging, Title Contenders & Much More at UFC 166 Post Event Press Scrum

UFC president Dana White spoke with assembled press after UFC 166 Saturday night in Houston. Per usual, all topics were on the table including judging, reffing, who is and isn’t on the chopping block and the future of the heavyweight and light heavyweight division title scene.

Who’s up next for Cain Velaszquez? Is there a chance Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier could fight next?

Check out Uncle Dana’s interesting and non-committal answers alike to these questions and more in the video above.

– Elias Cepeda


UFC president Dana White spoke with assembled press after UFC 166 Saturday night in Houston. Per usual, all topics were on the table including judging, reffing, who is and isn’t on the chopping block and the future of the heavyweight and light heavyweight division title scene.

Who’s up next for Cain Velaszquez? Is there a chance Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier could fight next?

Check out Uncle Dana’s interesting and non-committal answers alike to these questions and more in the video above.

– Elias Cepeda

UFC 166: Is Daniel Cormier a Legitimate Threat to Jon Jones?

It seems like only last week we were lamenting the chronic lack of depth in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
Once the promotion’s marquee weight class, Jon Jones’ recent dominance over his light heavyweight peers had seemingly re…

It seems like only last week we were lamenting the chronic lack of depth in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

Once the promotion’s marquee weight class, Jon Jones’ recent dominance over his light heavyweight peers had seemingly rendered the division void of any intrigue.

But over the past few weeks, Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier have apparently emerged as legitimate threats to Jon Jones’ crown.

Granted, the emergence of two contenders to the 205-pound throne hardly warrants breaking out the party hats, but the division has been so starved of a compelling supporting cast that I’ll take what little I can get.

The threat posed by Alexander Gustafsson is self-evident at this point. In a star-making performance, the Swede took the champion to the brink at UFC 165.

But what about Daniel Cormier, whose next bout seems destined to be at 205 pounds?

We know what the former Olympian is capable of, but should we reserve judgement until we see how he deals with such a significant weight cut?

Cormier’s struggles with the scale at the 2008 Beijing Olympics have been well-documented, so it’s not unreasonable to question whether the drop to 205 pounds will have a deleterious effect on his performance inside the cage.

The suggested headline for this piece included an amusing typo:

“Is Daniel Cormier a Legitimate Treat to Jon Jones?”

I looked at this Freudian slip of a headline and questioned whether my long-suffering editor’s typo is a more suitable headline than my own.

OK, so I’m stretching the truth a little. The inclusion of the erroneous headline was a post-hoc decision, since I felt I could get a little mileage out of the amusing slip.

My point stands, though.

Many fans think Cormier possesses the requisite tools to unseat Jones, but very few column inches have been dedicated to how the pair match up physically.

With the former Strikeforce Grand Prix champion coming down from heavyweight, the assumption seems to be that size and weight won’t be a major factor in the outcome of any eventual fight.

In reality, Cormier fights at heavyweight because he carries around a significant amount of extra body fat. His frame is more naturally suited to the light heavyweight division.

Additionally, the discrepancy in both size and reach appears almost insurmountable on paper, with Jones enjoying a five-inch height advantage and an astonishing reach advantage of almost a foot.

While Cormier coped masterfully with a somewhat similar handicap when he faced Josh Barnett, the 34-year-old has never dealt with anyone who excels at capitalising on his physical advantages in the quite the same way as Jones.

Of course, height and reach would be less of an issue if Cormier employed a similar style to his friend and AKA teammate Cain Velasquez, who is near-peerless at closing the distance and wearing down opponents against the cage.

The former Olympian is instead more content to remain primarily on the outside, popping in and out of range to deliver his surprisingly versatile attacks—his level changes have also turned into a thing of beauty.

Though capable of grinding opponents up against the cage, it’s hard to imagine Cormier being able to consistently close the distance and control the much-larger Jones.

Based on amateur credentials alone, Cormier would appear to hold the wrestling advantage. But as I am often at pains to point out, amateur wrestling credentials don’t necessarily guarantee success inside the cage.

That being said, if there is one particular area of intrigue in this fight, it will be whether the former Oklahoma state standout can bring his amateur wrestling experience to bear and take Jones to the mat.

Strain as I might, I can’t imagine this scenario actually playing out, nor any scenario that ends with Cormier’s hand being raised.

However, I’ve been wrong many times before. For the sake of the light heavyweight division’s health, this is one of those rare occasions when I would gleefully eat my own words.

 

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UFC 166 Aftermath: The Latest Emperor


(Cain Velasquez admires his violence on the big screen. / Photo via Getty)

Suddenly, the rivalry between heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos seems a little less competitive than was hoped for. Many observers were treating this fight as merely the latest engagement in a battle for the heavyweight crown that was to last for years ahead. Less a conclusion to a trilogy and more a precursor to a tetralogy or beyond, it was expected that this fight would see a more competitive affair showcasing the strengths of both men. That didn’t happen. Velasquez absolutely dominated Dos Santos, flooring him in the third before finishing him (sort of) in the fifth. It’s clear now that Cain Velasquez is the unstoppable force. Despite his unquestioned stature as the second best heavyweight in the UFC, Junior Dos Santos is not the immovable object.

Pace and pressure are amorphous terms reliant on context; it’s more difficult to conceive of these finishing a fight than something we can easily discern like a punch or kick. Yet it was the relentless forward motion and unending attack of Velasquez that led to the finish last night and the dominance that preceded it. Dos Santos had his moments; he landed a number of hard shots to open the first round, and landed a nice elbow against the cage to end the second. But other than that, it was all Cain. He didn’t dominate from bell to bell like he did in the second fight, but he wore down Dos Santos over the course of the first two rounds before capitalizing in the third. Velasquez floored Dos Santos with a counter overhand right, and almost finished the fight there; Herb Dean put his hand on Velasquez’ shoulder at one point, but reconsidered.

Things didn’t improve for Dos Santos afterwards, and in the fifth round he went for a desperation front choke. As Cain attempted successfully to escape, Dos Santos rolled, crashing his forehead on the mat. Either disoriented or utterly exhausted, Dos Santos could not continue and Velasquez secured the latest stoppage victory in UFC history. At the undisputed pinnacle of his weight class – the first heavyweight to truly claim this distinction since Fedor Emelianenko – it’s hard to imagine anyone toppling Velasquez soon. Daniel Cormier, who fought earlier in the evening, is his wrestling coach and is moving down to 205. Fabricio Werdum, his presumptive opponent, can submit anyone but will unlikely be able to take the fight to the ground against a wrestler of Cain’s caliber. A future rematch with Dos Santos is not inconceivable, but a different result is at this point. Despite his heart, his chin and his skills, it seems that Dos Santos is not destined to be the foil to Velasquez that we hoped he would be; Velasquez is the heavyweight division’s emperor.

Speaking of Daniel Cormier…


(Cain Velasquez admires his violence on the big screen. / Photo via Getty)

Suddenly, the rivalry between heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos seems a little less competitive than was hoped for. Many observers were treating this fight as merely the latest engagement in a battle for the heavyweight crown that was to last for years ahead. Less a conclusion to a trilogy and more a precursor to a tetralogy or beyond, it was expected that this fight would see a more competitive affair showcasing the strengths of both men. That didn’t happen. Velasquez absolutely dominated Dos Santos, flooring him in the third before finishing him (sort of) in the fifth. It’s clear now that Cain Velasquez is the unstoppable force. Despite his unquestioned stature as the second best heavyweight in the UFC, Junior Dos Santos is not the immovable object.

Pace and pressure are amorphous terms reliant on context; it’s more difficult to conceive of these finishing a fight than something we can easily discern like a punch or kick. Yet it was the relentless forward motion and unending attack of Velasquez that led to the finish last night and the dominance that preceded it. Dos Santos had his moments; he landed a number of hard shots to open the first round, and landed a nice elbow against the cage to end the second. But other than that, it was all Cain. He didn’t dominate from bell to bell like he did in the second fight, but he wore down Dos Santos over the course of the first two rounds before capitalizing in the third. Velasquez floored Dos Santos with a counter overhand right, and almost finished the fight there; Herb Dean put his hand on Velasquez’ shoulder at one point, but reconsidered.

Things didn’t improve for Dos Santos afterwards, and in the fifth round he went for a desperation front choke. As Cain attempted successfully to escape, Dos Santos rolled, crashing his forehead on the mat. Either disoriented or utterly exhausted, Dos Santos could not continue and Velasquez secured the latest stoppage victory in UFC history. At the undisputed pinnacle of his weight class – the first heavyweight to truly claim this distinction since Fedor Emelianenko – it’s hard to imagine anyone toppling Velasquez soon. Daniel Cormier, who fought earlier in the evening, is his wrestling coach and is moving down to 205. Fabricio Werdum, his presumptive opponent, can submit anyone but will unlikely be able to take the fight to the ground against a wrestler of Cain’s caliber. A future rematch with Dos Santos is not inconceivable, but a different result is at this point. Despite his heart, his chin and his skills, it seems that Dos Santos is not destined to be the foil to Velasquez that we hoped he would be; Velasquez is the heavyweight division’s emperor.

Speaking of Daniel Cormier, he took an easy decision victory over a game Roy Nelson before changing and coaching Cain Velasquez to victory. On his way down to light heavyweight – he weighed 224 for this fight – Cormier dominated Nelson in all facets of the sport. He outstruck, outwrestled, outworked and simply outfought Nelson. There isn’t much to add to this. Cormier, if he can cut the weight, might just be the best fighter at 205 right now. He’s not just a complete fighter; he’s a complete fighter with exceptional abilities in every department. With his win, the members of the 2008 Olympic wrestling team move to 33-0 in MMA, Cormier moved himself to 13-0, and Roy Nelson took sole ownership of the UFC record for most significant strikes absorbed in a career with 511. He might not contend for a title any time soon, but Nelson is still guaranteed to put on good fights at the expense of his cognitive ability.

But the best fight of the night – as well as the literal Fight of The Night – was the slobberknocker between Diego Sanchez and Gilbert Melendez. In what may be the fight of the year, both men left it all in the Octagon. Within 30 seconds of the first round, Sanchez had already managed to take Melendez’ back and things just got crazier from there. Neither man backed down throughout the fight, although Melendez generally got the better of the exchanges. He cut Sanchez in the first round and dropped him at the end of it. But Sanchez wouldn’t be discouraged. Despite being cut so badly above his left eye that the fight was halted twice to check on it, he pressed on. In the third, he caught Melendez with an uppercut in a wild exchange and dropped him, sending the crowd into a frenzy. But it wasn’t to be; tough as Sanchez was, Melendez’ own toughness prevailed. He won a deserved unanimous decision through the strength of superior combinations. This wasn’t a fight were there was a true loser though; both men left everything they had in the cage.

The first two fights on the main card were, suffice it to say, less competitive. Gabriel Gonzaga, looking like a cross between a caveman and a 70′s pornstar, flattened Shawn Jordan with a counter right hand before annihilating him with hammerfists a minute into their bout. And John Dodson knocked out Darrell Montague in the first round, hitting him so hard it took a second for Montague’s brain to register that it wasn’t working anymore. When this realization came, Montague face-planted into the mat and the fight was stopped. The amusing knockout earned Dodson the KO of the Night bonus; the Submission of the Night went to Tony Ferguson for a brabo choke on the undercard.

The sound and fury that accompanied this card have given way to silence. No one is debating whether Cain Velasquez or Junior Dos Santos is the best heavyweight. Any arguments have dissipated; dissent has ceased. Velasquez is less a fighter than a force of nature; save for an act of God – like the right hand that led to his sole loss, which is looking less consequential by the day – he can’t seem to be stopped, let alone withstood. The narrative is no longer waiting to see who can stop him; it’s simply accounting for how much damage he will do.

Results:

Main Card:

Cain Velasquez def. Junior Dos Santos via TKO, Round 5, 3:09
Daniel Cormier def. Roy Nelson via UD (30-27×3)
Gilbert Melendez def. Diego Sanchez via UD (30-27, 29-28×2)
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Shawn Jordan via KO, Round 1, 1:33
John Dodson def. Darrell Montague via KO, Round 1, 4:13

Preliminary Card:

Tim Boetsch def. CB Dollaway via SD (30-26×2, 27-29) [Author’s note: Uhhh…?]
Hector Lombard def. Nate Marquardt via KO, Round 1, 1:48
Jessica Eye def. Sarah Kaufman via SD (29-28×2, 28-29)
K.J. Noons def. George Sotiropoulos via UD (30-27, 29-28×2)
Adlan Amagov def. T.J. Waldburger via KO, Round 1, 3:00
Tony Ferguson def. Mike Rio via SUB, Round 1, 1:52
Andre Fili def. Jeremy Larsen via TKO, Round 2, 0:53
Kyoji Horiguchi def. Dustin Pague via TKO, Round 2, 3:51

UFC 166: Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson Is the Fight to Make

Unpopular opinion alert: Daniel Cormier has not done enough to deserve a shot at Jon Jones when he walks into the light heavyweight division.
Probably-only-slightly-less-unpopular opinion alert: Alexander Gustafsson shouldn’t have gotten an immediate r…

Unpopular opinion alert: Daniel Cormier has not done enough to deserve a shot at Jon Jones when he walks into the light heavyweight division.

Probably-only-slightly-less-unpopular opinion alert: Alexander Gustafsson shouldn’t have gotten an immediate rematch against Jon Jones after UFC 165, and does need at least a single fight before getting another chance.

Likely-most-popular-opinion alert: Make them fight each other.

After his win over Roy Nelson at UFC 166, Cormier is on his way to 205 to wrest the title from Jones, but he hasn’t exactly inspired excitement as his opposition has grown in stature.

He exploded into the public consciousness with a romp of Antonio Silva in 2011, then rousted Josh Barnett with similar enthusiasm to secure his place in the heavyweight top 10.

Unfortunately, his momentum was derailed a little by the agonizing death of Strikeforce, his home for those fights, and now in his two bouts in the UFC he’s done a whole bunch of nothing.

He held Frank Mir against the cage for fifteen minutes on FOX to pick up a win, and he touched up a wheezing Nelson from distance for fifteen minutes at UFC 166 to pick up another. He’s 13-0 with an Olympic pedigree and a pretty marketable personality, but there’s almost no evidence over the past year that he’s something to get excited about.

So with that considered, why not make him fight the guy that everyone has been excited about for the past month? Gustafsson pulled off a starmaking turn at UFC 165, a true Rocky moment where the gutsy challenger won’t go away and gives an arrogant champion all he can handle before taking a loss.

Let’s not forget how Rocky II played out either, folks. But that’s another piece for another day.

For Gustafsson to get back to Jones, it’s become accepted that he’ll have to fight someone else. Booking him around the same time as Jones to keep their schedules in line seems to be on the table, and there’s nothing to suggest that Cormier couldn’t be ready by February.

He was, after all, cornering Cain Velasquez in his title fight within minutes of his own bout ending.

A Cormier-Gustafsson meeting would give both men what they need.

Cormier could prove that he’s truly elite, not the up-and-down guy he’s been since winning the Strikeforce Grand Prix. He could earn his fight with Jones in the cage with his performance, not on Twitter with his personality.

Gustafsson could prove that the Jones bout was no fluke, that he really is getting exponentially better and really is the best hope to dethrone the seemingly invincible champion. A win over Cormier, who is a stylistic nightmare similar to the one we all believed Jones to be, would definitely prove he’s still at the top.

So book it. Put these two guys together and see who earns their chance at Jon Jones. It gives both men the bump they’ll need to fight for the title, and there’s a good chance they’ll bring out the best in one another knowing what’s on the line.

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Dana White Pleased with Daniel Cormier at UFC 166, Not Sure Where He Fits at LHW

Daniel Cormier has made no secret of his intentions to make a run at the light heavyweight title.
The former Olympian has been wrecking shop in the heavyweight ranks since turning pro four years ago. The Louisiana native has successfully transitioned f…

Daniel Cormier has made no secret of his intentions to make a run at the light heavyweight title.

The former Olympian has been wrecking shop in the heavyweight ranks since turning pro four years ago. The Louisiana native has successfully transitioned from his days as the winner of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix to solidifying himself as one of the top-ranked heavyweights in the UFC.

While “D.C.” has made things relatively easy inside the cage, the biggest obstacle blocking his run to championship gold is one that comes from inside his own gym in the form of reigning heavyweight champion and cardio juggernaut Cain Velasquez. The two men are close friends in their personal lives and training partners and teammates in the professional realm, which has made a potential showdown a road they refuse to travel.

That said, Cormier and his management team had the foresight to diagnose this issue long ago, and the former Oklahoma State University wrestling standout has been plotting a course for the light heavyweight division for the past year.

With his unanimous decision victory over Roy Nelson at UFC 166, the AKA staple not only kept his undefeated record intact, but also beefed up some momentum for his next bout—one that Cormier is certain will come at 205 pounds.

While his initial intentions were to get an immediate title shot against champion Jon Jones, recent activity in the light heavyweight title tier will make that next to impossible. The pound-for-pound great is slated to face Glover Teixeira sometime in early 2014, with recent title challenger Alexander Gustafsson positioned to get the winner granted he wins his next showing.

Those circumstances paint a cloudy picture for Cormier to enter. That said, the UFC President is excited to see what he can do in what White deems as the “nastiest” division in the UFC. White was pleased with Cormier‘s performance on Saturday night and spoke to the media following the post-fight press conference in Houston.

“I thought he looked great tonight,” White said. “I thought he looked a million times better than he did in his first fight in the UFC against Frank Mir. He beat Roy standing up. He was kicking more than Roy. I mean Roy was just standing there getting lit up. At 205…I don’t know. I don’t know where he’s going to fit at 205. The 205-pound division has been one of the, if not the nastiest divisions in the UFC forever. Guys are faster and taller in that division and it’s not an easy division to cut down to.”

During the post-fight press conference, White was asked if Cormier would possibly be tapped to face Gustafsson next year when the UFC returns to Sweden, where the promotion has stated the 26-year-old will main event for his next showing. The UFC head honcho was noncommittal on locking down that matchup, but stated Cormier is certainly a possible option to fill that spot.

With Cormier‘s victory over Nelson at UFC 166, he moves to 13-0 as a professional and 2-0 under the UFC banner.

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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Daniel Cormier vs. Roy Nelson: What We Learned from UFC 166 Co-Main Event

The co-main event of UFC 166 saw Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier take on a slimmed-down Roy Nelson in the heavyweight division. It was a fight that could be the last heavyweight bout for Cormier, who is likely heading to 205 next.
The fi…

The co-main event of UFC 166 saw Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier take on a slimmed-down Roy Nelson in the heavyweight division. It was a fight that could be the last heavyweight bout for Cormier, who is likely heading to 205 next.

The fight was not amazing, but that may be because it followed up a Fight of the Year candidate in Diego Sanchez vs. Gilbert Melendez. That being said, Cormier took the fight on all the scorecards, effectively keeping his UFC record squeaky clean.

Here is what we learned from this co-main event. 

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

I would say we won’t remember much about this fight other than Cormier won. Some big punches landed, and it wasn’t the worst fight ever, but it wasn’t the most memorable scrap to date.

 

What We Learned About Nelson

Against top competition, Nelson falters. “Big Country” is UFC material, but he cannot get a marquee win that separates him from the pack. We’ll see where he goes from here. 

 

What We Learned About Cormier

He is elite. His drop to 205 is intriguing, but he is not a top contender for Jon Jones. He needs a win or two at light heavyweight to get that shot. He has the tools but still needs improvement, or the top-tier guys will slice and dice him.

 

What’s Next for Nelson

He needs to take a step back now that he is on a two-fight skid. I would say a bout with Ben Rothwell, once he returns from suspension, would be a good scrap. 

 

What’s Next for Cormier

He will be fighting at 205, so maybe a meeting with Alexander Gustafsson in Sweden would be a good bout. A win would get him a title shot, while a loss would put him back at the drawing board. 

 

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