Daniel Cormier will undoubtedly go down as one of the best UFC heavyweights in history. He has a professional record of 22-3-1 and has held both the UFC Heavyweight and UFC Light Heavyweight belts during his career. These stats and the quality of his performances led to him earning a place in the UFC Hall of Fame. Here are four of his best fights.
Cormier vs Antonio
Our first fight comes from when Cormier was a relatively unknown fighter. He had a record of 8-0 in his MMA career until that point, but he faced off against one of the biggest names in the sport – Antonio “Big Foot” Silva. Cormier wasn’t even scheduled to fight that night but was a last-minute replacement for the injured Werdum. Many expected Silva to make light work of Cormier, but he showed he had the strength and the power to match up against the best of the best. Cormier hit Silva with an uppercut just before the end of the first round, finishing the fight and earning him a famous win.
Cormier vs Barnett
After his famous win over Antonio Silva, Cormier progressed to the final of the Strikeforce MMA tournament, where he would face off against one of the best in the business – Josh Barnett. Barnett was one of the most feared fighters at the time, thanks to his raw power and buckets full of experience that he used to place himself in the right place at the right time. However, Cormier completely overpowered Barnett that night, landing an iconic slam takedown that is still replayed today. While he couldn’t finish Barnett, he won by unanimous decision, making him the Strikeforce heavyweight champion.
Cormier vs Frank Mir
After the UFC took over Strikeforce in 2013, many Strikeforce veterans made their UFC debut on the “UFC on Fox” 7 card. One of those veterans was Daniel Cormier, who competed against former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Mir was a veritable legend of MMA at the time and still possessed the power and skill to beat anyone in his day. However, as Cormier likes to do, he overpowered Mir with his wrestling skill and clinch control, even displaying a high level of competency with his kicks – something we hadn’t seen much from DC at the time. After three rounds, Cormier won by unanimous decision, kicking off his UFC career with a win against one of the greats.
Cormier vs Henderson
The last fight on our list is arguably Cormier’s best career performance. At UFC 173, he faced off against one of the sport’s most decorated fighters – Dan Henderson. Henderson was the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion, a two-division Pride champion, and a former Olympic wrestler. In the end, none of that mattered, as Cormier did as he pleased with Henderson throughout the fight. He landed multiple slam takedowns to the point where he was throwing Henderson around the Octagon. Cormier eventually submitted Henderson in the third round to finish one of his most complete performances as an MMA fighter.
Conclusion
When you’re as skilled of a fighter as Cormier, there are plenty of fights to choose from when making a “best of” list, and these are just some of our favourites. Cormier fights always provide a thrilling experience for MMA fans, like the thrills people get watching a serial killer horror series on Netflix or playing a casino game on Ireland live casino. If you are a person who seeks thrilling experiences MMA certainly provides that, especially Cormier and the exciting nature of his fights. Which fights would you put in your list of best Cormier performances?