Tag: daniel cormier

Ahead of UFC 166 Fight, Daniel Cormier Objects to Roy Nelson’s Hair and Grooming


(What, me worry? | Photo via MMA Weekly)

As confident as Daniel Cormier is ahead of his UFC 166 bout against Roy Nelson, there appears to be at least one thing that concerns the former Olympic wrestler about his opponent. “The thing about the beard is it doesn’t seem to be well-kept, so I’m going to request that there’s a rubber band in it and that it comes straight down,” Cormier told fans assembled in Milwaukee last Friday for the UFC Fight Club Q&A session he took part in.

According to MMA Junkie, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which will regulate UFC 166 does have a rule stating that “each contestant must be clean and present a tidy appearance.” Like him or not, no one can ever claim that Nelson presents an appearance anywhere near “clean” or “tidy.”

Cormier seems to be implying that he’ll ask the Texas commission to intercede and ensure Nelson’s tidy appearance. “Also, I’m going to ask that they put his hair in two plaits off to the side,” Cormier says, seemingly describing pig tails.

“Part it down the middle, plait it on the sides. I don’t want it all in my face.”


(What, me worry? | Photo via MMA Weekly)

As confident as Daniel Cormier is ahead of his UFC 166 bout against Roy Nelson, there appears to be at least one thing that concerns the former Olympic wrestler about his opponent. “The thing about the beard is it doesn’t seem to be well-kept, so I’m going to request that there’s a rubber band in it and that it comes straight down,” Cormier told fans assembled in Milwaukee last Friday for the UFC Fight Club Q&A session he took part in.

According to MMA Junkie, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which will regulate UFC 166 does have a rule stating that “each contestant must be clean and present a tidy appearance.” Like him or not, no one can ever claim that Nelson presents an appearance anywhere near “clean” or “tidy.”

Cormier seems to be implying that he’ll ask the Texas commission to intercede and ensure Nelson’s tidy appearance. “Also, I’m going to ask that they put his hair in two plaits off to the side,” Cormier says, seemingly describing pig tails.

“Part it down the middle, plait it on the sides. I don’t want it all in my face.”

We don’t yet know if Cormier has filed a formal request with the Texas commission or whether he is just trying to get inside of Nelson’s head. If Cormier does file a request with regulators to style Nelson’s hair a particular way, he’ll be following in the foot steps of Gray Maynard’s camp who complained about Clay Guida’s wild mane before they fought in 2012.

As much as we love Cormier and Maynard, complaining about another man’s hair and trying to control how he combs it before facing him in a fight is a punk move. Only time will tell if this distracts or helps motivate Nelson. Will friendly Santa or angry Santa show up to fight Cormier, is what we’re saying.

Cormier also told fans that he is definitely planning to drop down to light heavyweight after the Nelson fight. He says he’s walking around shy of 230 pounds these days. Do you think the lost weight will help him or hurt against Nelson, nation? For his part, Cormier thinks it will help but is also taking a longer view.

“I’ve got two young kids now, and I want to try and live a little healthier,” he explained.

“I was kind of opposed to dieting for a long time, and now I’m doing those types of things.”

– Elias Cepeda

Daniel Cormier Dropping to Light Heavyweight No Matter What Happens at UFC 166

Daniel Cormier is making the move down to light heavyweight, but it isn’t a move based purely on the fact that his good friend and teammate Cain Velasquez currently sits as king of the heavyweight division.
Ever since he came to the UFC, Cormier h…

Daniel Cormier is making the move down to light heavyweight, but it isn’t a move based purely on the fact that his good friend and teammate Cain Velasquez currently sits as king of the heavyweight division.

Ever since he came to the UFC, Cormier has had to answer questions about his high ranking in the division, which would eventually put him on a collision course with Velasquez, the UFC heavyweight champ.

Time and time again, Cormier has said that he’d never fight his teammate and if necessary he would pursue a move down to 205 pounds to keep the conflict at bay.

Now Cormier is making that move, slowly but surely, as he gets ready for one final fight at heavyweight at UFC 166 where he’ll face Roy Nelson. Cormier‘s motivation has changed, however, as he approaches the cut-down to 205 pounds, because it’s not just about avoiding his teammate any longer—it’s about a better life.

“I don’t want to fight Cain (Velasquez) but I also want to start living life a little healthier, I’ve got kids now,” Cormier explained when speaking on UFC Tonight on Tuesday. “A lot of fans have asked me to go down to 205, they’ve been asking me since I started fighting. So now I’m doing it, but I’m starting to put the earnest on them, I want them to do it with me.

“I have a website GetFitwithDC.com and I can watch their progress as we go down together.”

Cormier is a former Olympic wrestler who was the team captain ahead of the 2008 games, but never actually got the chance to compete after weight-cutting shut his body down and he was ineligible to compete due to kidney failure.

This time around, Cormier is pledging to cut the weight in a more natural way, shedding the pounds over months instead of days to ensure his move is smooth and without any further damage to his body.

That said, the heavyweight division could still end up looking much different after UFC 166, as Cormier‘s teammate is battling Junior dos Santos in the main event with the title on the line. If Velasquez loses to Dos Santos for a second time, it could leave the door wide open for Cormier to step in and avenge his friend’s loss while also getting a shot at the heavyweight title.

Cormier says while it’s nice to know that so many people are dropping his name, his move to 205 pounds is happening regardless of the results of UFC 166.

“I’m confident (Junior dos Santos) won’t win that fight and, as I said, it doesn’t matter,” Cormier stated. “I want to try to live healthier for my kids and for my family. I want to live a longer life, a healthier life, so I’m going to go down regardless.”

Cormier‘s statement should now close the door on the heavyweight discussion. It appears he will get his last fight in against Nelson at UFC 166 after which he will officially drop down to 205 pounds and await his next challenge.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

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What a Loss to Roy Nelson Will Mean to Daniel Cormier

Let’s take stock of Daniel Cormier’s short but highly accomplished career as a mixed martial artist.
Five years ago, with a frustrated attempt at Olympic wrestling behind him, he took his first steps into the sport and began his meteoric ri…

Let’s take stock of Daniel Cormier’s short but highly accomplished career as a mixed martial artist.

Five years ago, with a frustrated attempt at Olympic wrestling behind him, he took his first steps into the sport and began his meteoric rise to become the No. 3 heavyweight in the world.

In that time, he would walk through every opponent put in front of him, capturing the highly competitive and much-hyped Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix title before entering the UFC as a highly touted prospect.

Of course, he already had the base of an accomplished athlete behind him, carrying the skills of a wrestler which have so often fast-tracked potential mixed martial artists to the top of the sport. So while his achievements in MMA in just 12 undefeated fights have caught the imagination, the foundation for that success was laid long before he set foot inside the cage.

What’s more, he isn’t the first athlete to have reached the top of the game in such a short space of time. Jon Jones, for example, was the UFC’s light heavyweight champion in just 14 fights. Cain Velasquez, Cormier’s training partner at AKA, was heavyweight champion in just nine fights.

Both those men sit at the top of the sport with only one career loss behind them. Cormier has none.

On October 19, at UFC 166, the former Olympian is expected to face Roy Nelson. It’s a fight Cormier has already decided will be his last in the 265-pound division.

That fact, added to his as yet flawless record, makes this a no-lose situation for him. Like some of his contemporaries, one loss in a 12-fight winning streak will do little to dent his cachet—especially against such a dangerous and heavy-handed opponent like “Big Country.”

It’s true that in his last fight against Frank Mir, a match he won convincingly by decision, his performance was far from electric, and already the knives were out to denigrate him as a lesser talent than many thought.

But Mir, ranked sixth among the UFC’s heavyweights, is still a tough challenge—as is seventh-ranked Nelson.

And, considering that his sights are set on dropping down to 205 pounds, there’s little he has to gain by stamping his authority on the heavyweight decision in his last fight there.

Instead, a tantalising match between Cormier and Jones in the division below is already in the cards. The personal animosity between the two has been steadily growing and UFC president Dana White has shown his support for the contest.

Should Cormier lose against Nelson, then it’s possible that he won’t be parachuted into a 205-pound title shot against Jones as he is expected to. The light heavyweight champion may have all but cleared out the division (and he himself is facing a tough opponent in Alexander Gustafsson later in the year), but there is still Glover Teixeira waiting in the wings for his shot.

Teixeira is getting ready to face Ryan Bader in September, and it’s conceivable that should he win convincingly, and should Cormier lose, then the Brazilian could leapfrog into the contender’s spot.

However, it wouldn’t be unprecedented to see Cormier given the nod even coming off a loss. Recall Chael Sonnen’s instant title shot at 205 pounds after his loss to Anderson Silva in the middleweight division.

But even if he does have to wait and prove himself at light heavyweight before being lined up for a title fight, it won’t take more than one fight in the division to see him rushed through to a championship contest.

Realistically, Cormier has everything to play for and not much to lose.

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Daniel Cormier: Jon Jones “Difficult to Deal With,” Turns Focus to Roy Nelson

UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier on Wednesday addressed his verbal feud with Jon Jones one more time. If Cormier is to be believed, it will also be the last, at least until after his fight with Roy Nelson at UFC 166.
“This will be the last time I talk ab…

UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier on Wednesday addressed his verbal feud with Jon Jones one more time. If Cormier is to be believed, it will also be the last, at least until after his fight with Roy Nelson at UFC 166.

“This will be the last time I talk about Jon Jones,” Cormier said Monday on The MMA Hour broadcast with host Ariel Helwani. “As I move into my training camp, I’m only going to talk about Roy Nelson, because he’s a tough guy, he deserves respect, and he’s an adult, not a kid.

The light heavyweight champion has taken some personal shots recently at Cormier, a two-time Olympic wrestler. In an interview with GracieMag, Jones questioned Cormier‘s physique and work ethic, asserting Cormier is a guy “who wants to be famous.”

On Monday, Cormier expressed bafflement over the vitriol, though he did take a few parting shots at Jones before saying he was ready to move on.

“He’s a different type of guy,” Cormier said. “That’s all I’m going to say about it. When you start coming in contact with him, he actually becomes a little more difficult to deal with.”

Cormier fights at a heavier division than Jones, but Cormier said Monday he will “definitely” fight at light heavyweight after his bout with Nelson. There has also been speculation that Jones will eventually try his hand in the heavyweight division.

Cormier said a collision between him and Jones was inevitable.

“Do you want to fight me or do you not want to fight me? That’s the question,” Cormier said. “The truth is, we’re going to fight at some point, and all of these things are going to be answered.”

The 34-year-old Cormier (12-0) is 1-0 in the Octagon after moving to the UFC in early 2013 following the folding of Strikeforce, his previous home promotion. While in Strikeforce, Cormier went 4-0 and won the heavyweight grand prix in 2012.

Also on Monday, Cormier called Nelson “the toughest opponent I have ever faced in my career.” Nelson also has a verbal history with Cormier, indicating Cormier was an “Uncle Tom” in an earlier interview. Cormier brushed off the comment on Monday.

“In a general sense, I mean, it’s a little disappointing, but it wasn’t that big a deal,” Cormier said. “It fuels the fire.”

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Jon Jones Tired of Talking About Daniel Cormier, Cormier Not Tired of Verbally Owning Jones


(“Short? No cardio? That’s not what your mother said last night.” / Photo via Getty Images)

Over the course of his dominant UFC career, Jon Jones had proven at least two things — he is an amazing fighter, and it isn’t that hard to get under his skin. Although, as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans can attest to, simply making Jones feel uncomfortable and irritable doesn’t make much of a difference when it’s time to actually fight him.

Jones is making his next light-heavyweight title defense against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September, but the Swede isn’t the guy “Bones” is tired of talking about. That would be heavyweight contender and two-time Olympian Daniel Cormier.

Cormier faces Roy Nelson next in a winner-eats-town bout at UFC 166, but after that, the undersized heavyweight says that he is moving down to Jones’s division and that he plans to get an immediate title shot once he does. No less than UFC President Dana White has all but said the same.

This, combined with the near-constant battle of tweets and words between DC and JJ has apparently tried Jones’s patience a bit too much. Recently, while on the UFC’s “World Tour,” the 205-pound kingpin was asked, for what has to feel like the millionth time, about Cormier challenging him. Jones got downright catty with his response.

Trying out his best high school girl insults, Jones said that Cormier is short, fat, and that he isn’t even popular. “I hate answering questions about him,” Jones said of Cormier.

“I don’t think he wants to work hard. I think he just wants to be famous. You can see it in his physique…He has, like, 20,000 Twitter followers. He has short reach, bad cardio [and] he looked terrible in his last fight. It’s like, I’m not worried about him at all.”


(“Short? No cardio? That’s not what your mother said last night.” / Photo via Getty Images)

Over the course of his dominant UFC career, Jon Jones had proven at least two things — he is an amazing fighter, and it isn’t that hard to get under his skin. Although, as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans can attest to, simply making Jones feel uncomfortable and irritable doesn’t make much of a difference when it’s time to actually fight him.

Jones is making his next light-heavyweight title defense against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September, but the Swede isn’t the guy “Bones” is tired of talking about. That would be heavyweight contender and two-time Olympian Daniel Cormier.

Cormier faces Roy Nelson next in a winner-eats-town bout at UFC 166, but after that, the undersized heavyweight says that he is moving down to Jones’s division and that he plans to get an immediate title shot once he does. No less than UFC President Dana White has all but said the same.

This, combined with the near-constant battle of tweets and words between DC and JJ has apparently tried Jones’s patience a bit too much. Recently, while on the UFC’s “World Tour,” the 205-pound kingpin was asked, for what has to feel like the millionth time, about Cormier challenging him. Jones got downright catty with his response.

Trying out his best high school girl insults, Jones said that Cormier is short, fat, and that he isn’t even popular. “I hate answering questions about him,” Jones said of Cormier.

“I don’t think he wants to work hard. I think he just wants to be famous. You can see it in his physique…He has, like, 20,000 Twitter followers. He has short reach, bad cardio [and] he looked terrible in his last fight. It’s like, I’m not worried about him at all.”

If Jones isn’t worried about a guy who would be the first person he’s ever faced that can take him down, and a man who just four years into his MMA career has already dominated two former heavyweight champions, then he’s lying or delusional. But despite the fact that he and Cormier appear to almost certainly be headed towards one another should they win their next fights, Jones insists that Cormier isn’t relevant to him.

“He’s just not relevant to me,” Jones said. “There’s so many great fighters in the light-heavyweight division. He’s not even top five in his division. I’m not sure if he is.”

Yeah, Jon, he is. Cormier is, at worst, the number three heavyweight in the world right now, despite having the height of a lightweight. And yes, Jon, everyone wants to see the two of you fight.

And for the record, Cormier like, totally has almost 60,000 twitter followers, so there. Faced with Jones’ hissy fit, Cormier decided to take the higher-looking road when he appeared on Fuel TV recently.

“When I heard his quote, it’s like a 16-year old girl,” Cormier said. “Jon Jones, grow up bud. We’re going to fight regardless of how you feel. And when we do and I’m cutting the line and you might as well pull guard because I’m taking you down.”

Who do you got, nation? Jon Jones, fueled by teen-like angst and awkwardness or Cormier with his super-chub Olympic powers and grown ass man strength?

– Elias Cepeda

Daniel Cormier to ’16-Year-Old Girl’ Jon Jones: ‘Grow Up Bud’

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier may not fight in the same weight division, but that doesn’t mean that they are not tattooed on each other’s minds.
The two have bantered back and forth in the past, but those exchanges have ratcheted up in frequ…

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier may not fight in the same weight division, but that doesn’t mean that they are not tattooed on each other’s minds.

The two have bantered back and forth in the past, but those exchanges have ratcheted up in frequency and fury over the last few weeks.

The reason behind those increases may have something to do with the fact that Cormier recently told UFC Tonight that his upcoming UFC 166 fight against Roy Nelson will be his last in the heavyweight division.

After that fight, if Cormier is victorious, he plans on taking to the microphone and requesting that he be allowed to jump the line and get an immediate title shot in the light heavyweight division.

Cormier’s plan caught the attention of Jones, the current UFC light heavyweight champion, who told MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco that Cormier is, “Just not relevant to me.”

Jones added: “He has short reach, bad cardio (and) he looked terrible in his last fight. It’s like, I’m not worried about him at all.”

Not surprisingly, Cormier had a response to the champion’s comments. “When I hear his quote, it’s like a 16-year-old girl,” he said on the FUEL TV UFC 163 post-fight show.

“Jon Jones, grow up bud, we’re going to fight regardless of how you feel. And when we do and I’m cutting the line and you might as well pull the guard because I’m taking you down.”

Jones and Cormier both have fights on their dance cards, so the bout between them is not a certainty. Jones will first have to defend his title against Alexander Gustafsson in the main event at UFC 165. That fight will take place on Sept. 21 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada.

Cormier will meet Nelson in the co-main event of UFC 166 on Oct. 19 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Both fighters are on impressive winning streaks.

Jones (18-1) has not lost since a disqualification for illegal elbows in a December 2009 bout against Matt Hamill, while Cormier (12-0) remains unbeaten in his professional career.

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