Tag: daniel cormier

Glover Teixeira on Jon Jones: ‘Every Phenom Goes Down One Day’

UFC light heavyweight title contender Glover Teixeira believes divisional champion Jon Jones will take out Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 on Saturday, setting up a title tilt between them. 
Speaking with MMA Fighting, the Brazilian slugger expres…

UFC light heavyweight title contender Glover Teixeira believes divisional champion Jon Jones will take out Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 on Saturday, setting up a title tilt between them. 

Speaking with MMA Fighting, the Brazilian slugger expressed his desire to take the 205-pound crown from “Bones:”

“Jon Jones is at the top for a long time, can’t say enough about him,” he said. “But I have to take this belt from him. Every phenom goes down one day … My style may look like Rampage’s, but you can be sure that I’m hungrier than Rampage to win,” he said. “This is my moment. I’m very happy for this opportunity and I will get this belt.” 

Shortly after Teixeira knocked out Ryan Bader at UFC Fight Night 27 earlier this month, Jones likened Teixeira’s fighting style to that of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson:

Regardless of any similarities between Teixeira and the ex-UFC champ, who Jones holds a win over, the heavy-handed Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has won 20 in a row, including five wins (four stoppages) inside the Octagon. 

However, UFC President Dana White said on Thursday that UFC heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier will “probably” get the next shot at Jones, if the champ wins on Saturday, and “DC” defeats Roy Nelson at UFC 166 (via Bloody Elbow).

Therefore, a potential Jones vs. Teixeira showdown could be on hold if Cormier wins in convincing fashion next month. 

Meanwhile, Jones has a chance to break Tito Ortiz’s UFC light heavyweight record of five consecutive title defenses if he can get past Gustafsson on the 21st.

Will Teixeira be the man to end Jones’ reign atop the light heavyweight division or will Gustafsson, or possibly even Cormier, beat him to it?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.

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Daniel Cormier ‘Probably’ Lands Title Shot Against Jon Jones with Win at UFC 166

Daniel Cormier has long talked about dropping down to light heavyweight and getting a shot at champion Jon Jones, and it seems he may get his wish if he can get past Roy Nelson at UFC 166 next month.
During a Google Hangout session with UFC president D…

Daniel Cormier has long talked about dropping down to light heavyweight and getting a shot at champion Jon Jones, and it seems he may get his wish if he can get past Roy Nelson at UFC 166 next month.

During a Google Hangout session with UFC president Dana White, via Fox Sports, on Thursday, he was posed with the question about the fight.

White was asked specifically if Cormier beats Nelson and Jones beats Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, if those to would fight next.

“Yeah, probably,” White revealed. “Yep.”

This news comes as a shock after just a week ago Glover Teixeira was declared the new No. 1 contender when he knocked out Ryan Bader in the first round of their fight at UFC Fight Night 28 in Brazil.

It was stated on the night of the fight that Teixeira would receive the next shot at the gold against the winner of the fight between Jones and Gustafsson. It’s unclear if White had a change of heart in the matter or was just caught off guard with the question on Thursday, but he’s now throwing Cormier‘s name into the mix as a potential No. 1 contender.

Cormier still hasn’t even made the move to light heavyweight officially, but he’s already cutting the weight ahead of his fight against Nelson in October.

The plan the former Olympic team captain set up is to start dropping a few pounds as he gets ready for Nelson, and then after the fight make the move down to 205 pounds.

While it’s true that Cormier has never fought at light heavyweight, he does bring an impressive resume to the division if he does drop down and get an immediate title shot. He already holds wins over UFC heavyweight mainstays such as Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, Frank Mir and Josh Barnett.

If the former Oklahoma State wrestler can dispatch of Nelson in October, that would add another top-10 fighter to the win column—something Teixeira can’t yet boast in his UFC career.

As it happens many times when it comes to UFC matchmaking, the real answer will probably come after Cormier fights Nelson at UFC 166. If he looks impressive and dominates or finishes the former Ultimate Fighter winner, it will go a long way towards earning the shot against Jones or Gustafsson for the title.

The only person not happy to hear there’s another contender in the race has to be Teixeira, who was already in the top spot until Thursday.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

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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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