This past weekend, UFC fans saw a literal passing of the torch. As it happens, apparently in Daniel Cormier’s mind, tossing Dan Henderson around like a rag doll is his version of changing of the guard. Henderson is of course one of the legends of the sport and highly regarded as one of the top wrestlers in history, however the new breed of MMA fighters has arrived and Cormier is that mold. Using his size and wrestling prowess, Cormier has defeated many big names in the heavyweight division and now has added a legend to his belt with submitting Dan Henderson. This marks the 4th time Henderson has been submitted and only the fifth time he has ever lost by stoppage. Considering he has 42 fights to his name makes it obviously a big deal for Daniel Cormier.
Daniel Cormier and the Light Heavyweight Division
Now after that brutality delivered to the 43-year-old legend, the question remains what’s next? We know Jon Jones, the champion, is tied up with Alexander Gustaffson in a rematch of their historic first bout with a date not yet set, but waiting him out might be close to a year and that is never a good option for a fighter. Although, the promise of a title shot is almost too good to pass up considering a big payday and the potential to be the best in the division. This provides Cormier with two obvious options, and of course one that he should choose–fight.
With his entry into the light heavyweight division, Daniel Cormier was to fight Rashad Evans. Evans was replaced last minute by newcomer Patrick Cummins, who was almost as quickly throttled by Cormier, though we all expected that. Then we saw the submission win over Hendo, which has him ranked second in the division. This begs the obvious question: who to fight? This is how Joe Silva gets his paycheck, by setting up fights that make sense in the division and in the wallets of the fans.
Glover Teixeira
The first obvious choice would be Glover Teixeira who is coming off a loss to champion Jon Jones by decision. Usually winners fight winners and losers fight losers but in this situation, it needs to be a little different based on the lay of the land. Glover would provide a more balanced attack than Hendo did, since he has a little more youth and skills to throw Daniel Cormier off more. I would still give Cormier the upper hand based on his wrestling experience and overall athletic ability.
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson
The next probable choice in my eyes would be a big step up for the opponent in Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. He returned to the UFC beating Phil Davis via decision and should look to get a step up in competition. Daniel Cormier is obviously at the top, but he can only look down if he wants to take another fight before his title shot. Johnson is one of the more complicated fighters in the UFC as he can be a finisher in exciting fashion, or he can use his large size to control an opponent and over power them onto a victory. However, Cormier is not a man to be taken down and held there. As a matter of fact, I don’t know if he is even a man to be taken down. His aggressive outings in his past two fights have shown he isn’t afraid to initiate the power shots and big takedowns. Rumble and Cormier could make for a very entertaining bout which would consist of good exchanges on the feet but more than likely ending up in battling in ground games. I still give Cormier the advantage over Johnson in all aspects, but I wouldn’t see him finishing the fight so easily.
Rashad Evans
The last man that I think makes the most sense in the division and the fans pockets, is Rashad Evans. Daniel Cormier was supposed to fight Evans in his debut in the Light Heavyweight division, until Evans was forced to pull out due to injury. Also, Rashad Evans hasn’t fought since his TKO victory over Chael Sonnen in November so it’s about time he comes back into the Octagon. This also provides a very intriguing match-up between two high profile wrestlers. Evans has always had a push to the fence and take down style, where Cormier is very strong with standing takedowns and tosses. With the credentials backing each fighter this fight could almost remain as a boxing competition, where both men have very hard punching power. Rashad Evans has only finished two opponents in his last nine fights, where Cormier has finished four out of nine fighters. Also, Daniel Cormier has spent seven of those fights in the heavyweight division and has been outwrestling much larger men than the 5’10” Rashad Evans.
Daniel Cormier has two very different options: one being to stick around and fight another opponent to stay fresh, or to wait for the winner of Jones and Gustaffson which hasn’t officially been set yet. I think that most fans want to see Cormier fight one of these three men instead of waiting out his title shot. Nobody wants to see a fighter sit out for a year or so and not be able to entertain us. Whichever way Cormier decides, I think we all want to see him fight for the title as he would be the biggest threat since Lyoto Machida to take away Jones’s title.
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