Daniel Cormier has made a major splash since joining the world of mixed martial arts. Since debuting with Strikeforce, fans have watched him evolve into a complete fighter who can defeat some of the best in the world.After winning the Strikeforce Heavy…
Daniel Cormier has made a major splash since joining the world of mixed martial arts. Since debuting with Strikeforce, fans have watched him evolve into a complete fighter who can defeat some of the best in the world.
After winning the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, Cormier must fight one final time under the organizational banner before his contract can be transferred into the UFC. There was a lot of speculation of who would face the Olympian in his final fight, but ultimately, Dana White landed on former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir.
With last night’s news that Mir has been forced out of the November 2 contest with Cormier, the hotly anticipated cross-promotional bout now needs a replacement.
Here is a look at five fighters who could potentially replace Mir to fight Daniel Cormier later this year.
(“Easy, Bubba. Easy. Okay, okay, tap tap tap…TAP! TAP! AHHHH FUUUUUUUCK!! Damn it! I have a fight coming up, you asshole! Why did you do that? Why?!?”)
The heavyweight stunt-booking was scheduled to be Cormier’s last appearance in Strikeforce before moving to the UFC, so hopefully Zuffa will be able to hustle up a new opponent for him to keep his transition on schedule. Nothing has been reported yet, so I’m just going to throw out some names: Arlovski. Bonnar. Laupua. Just stop me if my matchmaking genius begins to overwhelm you.
We’ll update you when we know more.
(“Easy, Bubba. Easy. Okay, okay, tap tap tap…TAP! TAP! AHHHH FUUUUUUUCK!! Damn it! I have a fight coming up, you asshole! Why did you do that? Why?!?”)
The heavyweight stunt-booking was scheduled to be Cormier’s last appearance in Strikeforce before moving to the UFC, so hopefully Zuffa will be able to hustle up a new opponent for him to keep his transition on schedule. Nothing has been reported yet, so I’m just going to throw out some names: Arlovski. Bonnar. Laupua. Just stop me if my matchmaking genius begins to overwhelm you.
It appears the MMA injury bug isn’t quite done as yet another major fight will be scrapped due to injury.As reported on Twitter as well as on MMAjunkie.com, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir was injured and has been forced to withdraw from his …
It appears the MMA injury bug isn’t quite done as yet another major fight will be scrapped due to injury.
As reported on Twitter as well as on MMAjunkie.com, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir was injured and has been forced to withdraw from his Strikeforce bout against Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion Daniel Cormier.
According to @sportsrage, Frank Mir is out of his Strikeforce fight with Daniel Cormier.
Following a very rough week of injuries for the UFC in which UFC 153 was nearly destroyed, one of the most anticipated Strikeforce fights of the year will now have to find a way to feel in a massive void.
The Strikeforce event in which Cormier and Mir were slated to fight was scheduled for November 3 in Oklahoma City.
After Strikeforce saw many of their top fighters leave for the UFC, Frank Mir was to break ground on the possibility of UFC fighters taking fights in Strikeforce. Mir is coming off a championship loss to UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos.
For Daniel Cormier, this was going to be a major test and likely his final fight before entering the UFC. Many believed a win over Mir in Strikeforce would secure an immediate title shot when Cormier stepped into the Octagon for the first time.
While losing the Cormier-Mir fight is a huge loss to Strikeforce, the November card will also feature another title fight between Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold and exciting up-and-comer Lorenz Larkin. An anticipated fight between Liz Carmouche and Sara McMann is also scheduled on the card.
There is no word yet whether Cormier will face a new opponent or be removed from the card, but for now, it doesn’t look good for one of the best fighters remaining in Strikeforce.
There comes a time in every former champion’s career when he has to analyze if he truly belongs with the newest generation of elite warriors, or come to the realization that his best days have subsequently passed him by. An upcoming bout embodie…
There comes a time in every former champion’s career when he has to analyze if he truly belongs with the newest generation of elite warriors, or come to the realization that his best days have subsequently passed him by.
An upcoming bout embodies that particular question for the former two-time heavyweight champion, Frank Mir. A match that will determine if he will continue to challenge the best fighters of today or begin to fade away into the sunset.
Mir has a well documented history with the UFC, reigning as their longest tenured heavyweight. It is common knowledge that he has the most submission wins by any UFC heavyweight with eight. It is even more widely known that Mir resurrected his career after a motorcycle accident which nearly took away his identity as a martial artist, causing years of his fighting career to be forfeited to recovery.
Up to this point in Mir’s career, he has overcome the trials and tribulations, defeating the odds while regaining his identity and even recapturing the UFC heavyweight championship at one point. Mir has evolved with the sport and has remained a top contender throughout his career.
However, after another failed attempt of capturing a third UFC heavyweight championship against Junior dos Santos, Mir is staring adversity directly in the eye once again.
In order to remain relevant in the title picture, Mir has accepted a one time only move to Strikeforce in order to battle against the fast-rising championship contender and newly crowned Strikeforce Grand Prix champion, Daniel Cormier.
Not only is this particular opponent a very difficult test but it is also set to take place on November 3rd in his opponent’s home away from home, Oklahoma City. The place where Daniel Cormier made a name for himself as an elite wrestler while attending Oklahoma State University.
Cormier is currently undefeated, riding a 10-fight win streak. Even more impressive is that Cormier is a relative novice to mixed martial arts while rising to be a legitimate championship contender and vastly improving each time he steps inside of the cage.
Cormier also has a strength he can always rely on just as his opponent does, and if you prefer word games—Mir is to jiu-jitsu as Cormier is to wrestling.
Mir has displayed an inability against strong wrestlers in the past, most notably Brock Lesnar at UFC 100 as he was held in position. His next opponent has an even superior pedigree than Lesnar in terms of wrestling and overall skill. Though, comparing Cormier and Lesnar is like comparing apples to oranges due to the fact that Lesnar was a much larger and stronger man.
For Mir, this is the fight that he needs to make a stand and erase the aura of doubt that fans have built around him. He needs to not only defeat Daniel Cormier, but he has to make a bold statement as he did against Antoni Hardonk at UFC 74. He needs to prove to the world and the UFC that the real Frank Mir is back.
Though many feel as if Mir has been sliding of late, his most recent losses dating back to UFC 100 have only come to the No. 1 or No. 2 ranked fighters in the UFC at the time he fought them. All championship fights. Lesnar defeated him at UFC 100 for the heavyweight championship. Carwin defeated him at UFC 111 for the interim heavyweight championship. He then barely escaped Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140 before he was utterly picked apart by the current champion, Junior dos Santos, at UFC 146.
The common theme in those contests have resulted in Mir developing a reputation for not having a strong chin as all six of his professional losses resulted from punches in form of knockout or technical knockout, even though his losses came against some of the strongest men in the division.
Only making matters worse for Mir, Daniel Cormier doesn’t lack strength in the power department either. Cormier has won six out of his 10 fights with his surprisingly powerful punches. Along with his damaging hands, he moves very well for a heavyweight, and one cannot dispute how quickly his stand-up game has evolved since he began his MMA career.
When you add it up for Mir, even with the stronger resume, better credentials and vast experience, one has to recognize that this fight favors Daniel Cormier, making this contest imperative for Mir to achieve victory. It’s make or break for the former champion if he wants to make another run at the heavyweight title.
If Mir has any hope of winning this fight, he has to be mentally and physically prepared. He has to dedicate himself to his training and preparation as if he isn’t competing in another fight ever again. Mir has to anticipate a fast-paced, five-round fight, understanding that his cardio has to be on point. Cutting weight to around 245-250 pounds would help Mir not only in cardio but movement on his feet and scrambling on the mat to create room to work his submission game.
It will be very critical in this contest for Mir to utilize his advantages, starting with the eight-inch reach advantage he possesses over Cormier which is only multiplied by his 4″ height advantage. Mir needs to change up his attacks and use combinations to keep the smaller Cormier off balance and outside of the pocket.
Probably the single most important aspect of this fight will be Mir’s aggression. He cannot sit around and wait for Cormier to decide when and how to attack. Josh Barnett displayed continued success when attacking first, taking the stand-up fight to Cormier. It might be a cliche in the fight world, but Mir has to be first.
The outcome of this fight fully depends on how dedicated Frank Mir is to mixed martial arts today. Mir has the skills to stay relevant in the heavyweight division for years to come but his mental and physical preparation is the key to success. A loss will set him back to a point that he will probably never have another opportunity to challenge for a championship, and that is a mindset that Mir needs to fully grasp and use for motivation.
Even though Daniel Cormier is an extremely challenging opponent, Mir has every tool necessary to defeat him. Simply meaning for Frank Mir—gut check time is now.
With all the Chael Sonnen references to “Uncle” Dana White lately, it got me to thinking: Who are the UFC’s biggest company men? Who are the fighters who seem most likely to parrot Uncle Dana and/or toe the company line in public?Let me start by …
With all the Chael Sonnen references to “Uncle” Dana White lately, it got me to thinking: Who are the UFC’s biggest company men? Who are the fighters who seem most likely to parrot Uncle Dana and/or toe the company line in public?
Let me start by saying, being a nephew of Dana is not a knock. In fact, most of the folks on this list are pretty savvy and know which side their bread is buttered on.
Reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Jon Jones seemed well on his way to being on this list, as he was even appearing in some UFC commercial spots with the likes of Arianny Celeste in the weeks BEFORE he beat Shogun.
But you don’t say no to Uncle Dana, and when he did that recently by declining to fight Chael Sonnen at UFC 151, even golden boy Jon Jones quickly found out that Dana is a vengeful and angry God. He then was trashed by his boss and thrown under the bus in the way only Dana White could do.
But to quote Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones, you don’t get mad at your money, and I have to imagine that fighter Jon Jones, like Anderson Silva, is just a couple of performances away from being welcomed back into Dana’s good graces—if he still wants to be there.
It didn’t take too too long for The Spider to get back there after he stopped putting on his dancing exhibitions and got back to whooping people. And it didn’t hurt that Chael Sonnen pretty much made him the good guy by default—put him back over—if you will.
So now, with no further adieu, I present Dana White’s Top 5 Super Golden Nephews..
As Cormier told USA Today, “I am excited to be going back to Oklahoma for this fight because it’s been like my second home. My first fight was in Oklahoma, and the biggest fight of my Strikeforce career will be there…Fighting Frank Mir is an honor, as I’ve always viewed him as a great warrior and champion of the sport. This matchup shows that Zuffa is committed to putting me in big fights, and for that I thank them.”
As Cormier told USA Today, “I am excited to be going back to Oklahoma for this fight because it’s been like my second home. My first fight was in Oklahoma, and the biggest fight of my Strikeforce career will be there…Fighting Frank Mir is an honor, as I’ve always viewed him as a great warrior and champion of the sport. This matchup shows that Zuffa is committed to putting me in big fights, and for that I thank them.”
It appears the MMA injury bug isn’t quite done as yet another major fight will be scrapped due to injury.