ESPN Mixed Martial Arts

It never matters to Roy Nelson who UFC officials offer as an opponent. He always accepts.

Nelson will fight any heavyweight, anywhere, anytime. He is a throwback: the type who loves mixing it up. He also enjoys putting on exciting fights, which was evident Saturday night in Newark, N.J.

At UFC 159, Nelson delivered a performance fight fans will remember for a long time -- knocking out Cheick Kongo in the first round with a beautifully placed overhand right.

Kongo immediately went down and was unconscious. Nelson delivered one more punch for good measure, but he didn’t throw it with much force. He didn’t want Kongo getting back to his feet, but was compassionate enough to consider the serious damage that might have been done with a very powerful punch.

That’s Nelson, always thinking of others, be it the fighters or fans -- especially fans. Whenever he steps in the cage, Nelson wants his fans to be entertained, which is exactly what he did at Prudential Center.

And the sellout crowd of 15,227 showed Nelson its appreciation by giving him the evening’s loudest ovation. Nelson responded to the cheers by jumping atop the Octagon at several different locations to directly address fans in every section of the arena.

It was a great night for Nelson, but the fun wasn’t quite over with his victory.

In addition to his pleasing fight, Nelson also wants a shot at the UFC heavyweight title. And he figured the best way to put his name in the title conversation was with an impressive performance against Kongo.

Nelson came through big time, which got the attention UFC president Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva.

“Me and Joe never talk about next fights on nights of the fights, but we talked tonight,” White said Saturday night. “And we like Roy Nelson versus [Daniel] Cormier, or Roy Nelson, if Mark Hunt wins [at UFC 160], Roy and Mark.

“If [Roy] wants to get close to the title, those are the guys he has to fight. I know he wants a title shot, and I honestly think he deserves to get a fight with one of the top guys to get him closer to that or get him a title shot.”

The words were music to Nelson’s ears. He had a huge smile on his face each time White made reference to his immediate fighting future. Now he’s at least one bout from realizing his goal of fighting for the UFC heavyweight title.

But here’s the kicker: If Nelson is serious about landing his title shot sooner rather than later -- and sooner is always better, because title shots are very hard to come by -- he must do whatever is necessary to make certain that Cormier is his next opponent. A victory over Cormier, especially if it is impressive, will place him among the top three contenders in the heavyweight rankings. No doubt about it.

Both ESPN.com and UFC.com currently rank Cormier as the No. 2 heavyweight contender, right behind former titleholder Junior dos Santos, who faces Hunt at UFC 160 on May 25 in Las Vegas.

“

... if he gets past [Junior dos Santos], that would be great. If he doesn't, I'd still fight Mark Hunt because the fans want to see that one.

” -- Roy Nelson

An upset of dos Santos won’t catapult Hunt into the top contender spot. Hunt will not surpass Cormier in the rankings, nor is he likely to jump ahead of Alistair Overeem or Fabricio Werdum.

As of Monday, Nelson was ahead of Hunt in the UFC.com heavyweight rankings -- Nos. 6 and 9, respectively. Hunt could move ahead of Nelson with an upset of dos Santos, making a showdown between them more intriguing.

The winner of that fight, however, will have a hard sell convincing UFC officials he deserves an immediate title shot. But a win over Cormier and Nelson is right there knocking at the champion’s door.

“I want to fight the best in the world. And fighting Daniel, you know, he’s an Olympian, I’d like to welcome him to UFC,” Nelson said after his win Saturday night. “As for Mark Hunt, if he gets past [dos Santos] that would be great. If he doesn’t, I’d still fight Mark Hunt because the fans want to see that one.

“I’m all about making everybody happy.”

It’s very noble of Nelson to consider the fans, but it would be a mistake on his part to bypass a shot at Cormier. The risk is greater, but so is the reward. And knowledgeable fight fans would be more interested in witnessing this high-profile bout than a slugfest between him and Hunt.

Besides, Cormier has already endorsed the idea of facing Nelson.

“Hey Dana you’re right, Roy Nelson and I would be a damn good fight,” Cormier said on Twitter after hearing White’s fight proposal. “How about it [Roy]?”

White and Silva are likely to put the ball in Nelson’s court in the next few weeks. And it is in Nelson’s best interest not to drop it.

Heading into UFC 159, figuring out ways that Chael Sonnen could compete with Jon Jones required an active imagination. The leading idea on how to get it done was for Sonnen to put his chin down, stick the crown of his head into Jones’ chest and drive him through the cage floor. Once there, things would become adventurous for all parties.

It didn’t get there.

In fact, Jones turned the tables on Sonnen and shot in for a takedown of his own just a few seconds into the fight. It was Sonnen staring up at the lights, fending off oncoming elbows. He was able to get up, but Jones, out of a sense of pride and civic duty, became the kind of insistent wrestler who only Sonnen could appreciate. With half a minute to go in the first round, Sonnen’s face battered and wits scattered, Jones was pried off of the "West Linn Gangsta" in what was ultimately the most predictable stoppage in the history of ground and pound.

But in a bizarre night where Ovince St. Preux won an abrupt technical decision with an eye poke of Gian Villante, Michael Bisping won a technical decision for an eye poke of the one man whose phobia is eye pokes, Alan Belcher, and Yancy Medeiros’ thumb was rearranged into something from Picasso’s brush, it was par for the course that Jones broke his toe somewhere along the way. By the end of the night, appendages at odd angles were all but the norm.

Now we can focus on “what does it all mean,” which is one of MMA’s favorite pastimes. Let’s try to sort it out.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

How does Sonnen compete?
Turns out our hunches were right -- he doesn’t, not when fighting a stylistic nightmare who has the wingspan of a Cessna and a chip on his shoulder.

Last time we see Jones at 205?
Because he only tied Tito Ortiz’s record of five title defenses, here’s guessing no. Lyoto Machida has been promised a rematch, and Alexander Gustafsson still has a modicum of appeal on his way up. And if Jones fights Daniel Cormier, the likeliest scenario is it happens at light heavyweight.

Can Phil Davis break through?
Davis showed improved stand-up ability from that awkward version of himself a couple of years ago. But this was a one-sided beatdown of Vinny Magalhaes, a static fighter whose own stand-up won’t swell the orchestra. Davis might be ready for a step up in competition, but he still seems light years away from challenging Jon Jones.

Is Cheick Kongo showing his 37 years?
Kongo is a dapper gentle giant outside the cage, and in his fight with Roy Nelson, he became one inside the cage, too. We didn’t see any urgency or head-hunting or even any of that rare joie de vivre. What we did see was Roy Nelson go into his windup, as if from the pitcher’s mound, and deliver a heater of an overhand right that dropped Kongo like a curtain sliding off the rod. In other words, yes, Kongo’s days appear numbered.

NEW QUESTIONS

Does Sonnen retire?
Through the last three-year odyssey in which Sonnen has captivated the world of MMA and fought for the belt three times, he made it plain that winning a championship was his singular motivation. Does he want to stick around in a grudge-match capacity to fight the Vitor Belforts and Wanderlei Silvas of the world? (Answer: Hope so. Too many delicious vendettas lingering out there for Sonnen to just walk away.)

Is Pat Healy a top-10 lightweight?
If you subscribe to the theory that divisions are essentially a Netflix queue, where you can drag a title up from the bottom and replace something already in line near the top, then yes (and I know that speaks to more than half a dozen of you). Beating Jim Miller in Miller’s native New Jersey was enough of a feat, but Healy’s pressure game is starting to look scary. At nearly 30 years old, and with 46 professional fights, Healy is just now really coming into his own.

Is Nelson a heavyweight contender?
His right hand says "yes." His surprising agility to climb the fence and do the two-handed Buddha belly rub after victories says "yes." His popularity among fans and mullet connoisseurs says "yes." And realistically, yes. Now everybody is imagining Nelson against Mark Hunt, and Nelson against Daniel Cormier, and Nelson against Alistair Overeem, and that’s a good thing.

What’s next for Michael Bisping?
In hockey patois, Bisping was clutching his stick a little tight early against Belcher, but he began to get into a groove with his striking early in the second round. It was a victory that staves off ugly circumstances and gets him rolling toward something again. Bisping has mentioned fighting in October in Manchester, and here’s thinking Cung Le would be a big draw.

THE FUTURE

For Sara McMann -- Right now it’s wide open, with the Armageddon she brought on Sheila Gaff. We know about the Olympic wrestling, but there’s something about the delight she took in the elbows she was dropping from the crucifix position that has you wondering about how she’d fare against Ronda Rousey (and that’s where McMann’s headed -- but she’ll have to stay busy with another fight or two).

For Jim Miller -- Technically, getting put to sleep isn’t a submission so much as a loss of consciousness, but losing a second time in New Jersey (the first to Nate Diaz) hurts Miller. Though he’s flirted with the idea of moving up to 170 pounds in the past, he might consider a move down to 145. Pastures are always greener in other divisions after losses like the one to Healy.

For Jon Jones -- He needs to get that toe better, but when that’s all said and done, he can officially break Tito Ortiz’s record of five light heavyweight title defenses. The dust has to settle, but the forerunners to become his next victim appear to be down to Alexander Gustafsson or Lyoto Machida (particularly if they fight each other while Jones heals to form a super-definitive, no-questions-asked No. 1 contender).

For Chael Sonnen -- The television booth, at first. But eventually Wanderlei. And Belfort. And the whole block of peeved Brazilians who are smashing their fists in their hands waiting by their phones for Joe Silva to call.

For Roy Nelson -- Daniel Cormier and great balls of fire!

Matches to make

Jon Jones versus Alexander Gustafsson -- If you're an all-or-nothing fan, Jones should heal up and wait on Anderson Silva. But more realistically, dial up the Swede.

Chael Sonnen versus Wanderlei Silva -- Sonnen's already dropping the subliminal tracks toward this fight.

Michael Bisping versus Cung Le -- The two greatest verbs in MMA are "Cung Le."

Alan Belcher versus Hector Lombard -- If 170 is too condensed for the Cuban, a run-in with Belcher at 185 might be fun.

Roy Nelson versus Daniel Cormier -- Twitter wants it. Twitter is all that matters in matchmaking.

STOCK UP/STOCK DOWN

Up
Bryan Caraway -- Only seven weeks removed from his split decision loss to Takeya Mizugaki, Caraway took out Johnny Bedford on a week’s notice with poise and strength.

Phil Davis -- He made it through the rebound portion of his career (the Wagner Prado series and now Vinny Magalhaes), and it’s right back into the kitchen fire of light heavyweight elites.

Cody McKenzie -- Hey, kudos to McKenzie for not engaging Leonard Garcia in a “Leonard Garcia” fight. His restraint was admirable.

Steven Siler -- This would have been fight of the night had Healy/Miller not turned things into Grappler’s Quest Gone Wild. Siler was too much for Kurt Holobaugh, and he weathered a big second-round storm to get the job done.

Down
Leonard Garcia -- Five losses in a row, the latest coming against a fighter who was tailor-made for getting off the schneid? Not good.

Vinny Magalhaes -- Here’s yet another lesson of “be careful what you wish for.” It was Magalhaes who called out Davis, but he had nothing for him.

Alan Belcher -- The eye poke was scary, particularly after having surgery on that same eye not all that long ago. But when you’re likely down 2-0 on the scorecards and you come out in the third with smiles instead of flurries? Not the way his corner drew it up.

NEWARK, N.J. -- In a night of strange happenings, perhaps the strangest was saved for last.

As most thought he would, Jon Jones (18-1) defended his light heavyweight title against Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 at Newark's Prudential Center, yet he did it in a prideful way -- by outwrestling the wrestler. Coming into the fight, the one bit of intrigue for the heavy favorite Jones was how he would respond to Sonnen’s constant pressure.

Instead, the 25-year old Jones took Sonnen down in the first 10 seconds of the fight, and repeated the process a couple more times before finishing him via TKO with 27 seconds left.

It was a dominant performance by the champion, who tied Tito Ortiz’s record for most 205-pound title defenses at five.

Then the revelation: In his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, Jones made a gruesome discovery -- his toe appeared broken.

Jones’ left foot was shown on the arean's Jumbotron and it dawned on him and the crowd at the same time that he had a mangled toe. It seemed that Jones broke the toe while pushing off the mat on a takedown attempt.

“I felt it pop,” he told ESPN.com afterward. “But I didn’t let it slow me down.”

Just how long he’ll be out, and what this means for the 205-pound division, remains to be seen. Coming into the fight, UFC president Dana White had mentioned that heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier might be a possibility for an automatic title shot in the lower weight class. And then there was Lyoto Machida, who was in attendance on Saturday night. Machida has also been pinky sworn by White to get a rematch against Jones. But with the injury, everything goes back up in the air.

And as far as Jones is concerned, Cormier isn’t on his mind yet.

“I don’t want to give Daniel Cormier any hype right now,” he said during a postfight interview with MMA Live. “That guy ... I won’t even make a comment.”

As for Sonnen, who coached opposite Jones on "The Ultimate Fighter" and took a lot of flak for not having the credentials to get the shot to begin with, he was gracious in defeat.

“He’s an excellent fighter, I have no problem with the stoppage,” he said. “[Jones] is very powerful. When he went for the kill, he never stopped. I thought I was all right, but he is the better fighter.”

Sonnen intimated that he may contemplate retiring now that it appeared that he had his last shot at winning a title. But he wasn’t definitive on that. Coming in, the thought was that Sonnen’s only chance against Jones was to use his wrestling to put Jones on his back, like he did with middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117.

Instead, Jones turned the tables out of defiance.

“[Coach] Greg Jackson, he always teaches me to have a philosophy of ‘screw them,’” Jones said. “If people want to say you can’t do something, you say, ‘screw them.’ That’s the way I looked at the critics. Screw you guys.

“My wrestling coach told me that that they’re going to be watching, they want to see who’s the better wrestler, and everyone thinks that you can’t wrestle. I said, screw them. Let me show you guys I can wrestle. I take wrestling very seriously.”

On a night where two bouts ended in technical decisions for accidental eye-pokes, and another ended when Yancy Medeiros dislocated his thumb against Rustam Khabilov, Jones’ injury felt par for the course. It was yet another “what if” for Sonnen. Though the Jones fight was the polar opposite of Sonnen’s first fight with Anderson Silva, he once again came close to becoming the champion.

Had Sonnen survived the first round, it’s possible that Jones wouldn’t have been able to continue with the injury to his foot. In that case, Sonnen would have backed his way into a title. That would have been different from the Silva fight -- which he dominated for 4½ rounds before getting caught in a triangle/armbar with under two minutes left -- even if the nearness to the gold was the same.

For as close as that might have seemed, it was a million miles away. Jones was his usual dominant self, and he showed he can beat opponents at their own game. UFC 159’s main event was never in doubt. The only thing that is in doubt becomes what exactly happens next.

“We’ll see what happens with Jones’ [injury], and we’ll go from there,” Dana White said. But, before letting it go at that, he also dropped a bomb in the post-fight news conference. He said that Anderson Silva called -- and was asking for a fight. Was he calling out Jon Jones?

White left it for everyone to speculate, but added that it doesn't really matter right now, with Silva slated to fight Chris Weidman at UFC 162.

How’s that for timing?

Talent-wise, heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier is second to none. He can compete with and defeat any man willing to step inside the cage with him.

Cormier is that good. He hits hard, has quick hands, is physically powerful, can take it on the chin and to the body, possesses solid defense -- standing or on the ground -- and his wrestling is better any other mixed martial artist in the division.

He is arguably the fighter best suited to dethrone UFC heavyweight titleholder Cain Velasquez, who happens to be his close friend and training partner.

But despite his successful Octagon debut Saturday night in San Jose, Calif. -- a unanimous decision over two-time UFC champ Frank Mir -- it would be in Cormier’s best interest if UFC delayed offering him a title shot.

Cormier, 12-0 as a pro, is not yet ready to fight for the UFC crown. And he would agree with this assessment.

“I’m not happy with my performance,” Cormier said. “Even if [UFC officials] say I’m going to fight Cain Velasquez next, I don’t think this performance warranted a title shot.”

Cormier has been fighting professionally for less than four years. And with so few high-profile bouts under his belt, it is not far-fetched to classify him a newcomer among the elite.

Each training camp has been a crash course, every fight the equivalent of a cram session. But fortunately, the highly intelligent 34-year-old is a very fast learner.

Cormier has a tremendous ability to absorb information, quickly apply what he has learned and make adjustments on the fly. So in the days leading to his UFC debut with Mir, he was confident of remaining unbeaten.

Then Cormier arrived at HP Pavilion, heard the music blaring throughout the arena, fans screaming at the top of their lungs and realized he had arrived; he’d made it to the big time. And Cormier lost his nerves.

It’s the one thing that hours upon hours of training with some of the best fighters in MMA couldn’t prepare him for. Facing Mir, one of the top heavyweights, on MMA’s biggest stage, under its brightest lights was a bit much for the 2012 Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner to handle.

“I was nervous and I can’t explain why,” Cormier said. “It must’ve been this big-fight feel. Before I walked into the cage I felt nervous.

“I always laughed when [UFC president] Dana [White] said there’s jitters that come along with this. I was like, ‘My career prepared me for this.’ But man, I was nervous today. I was so nervous.

“More than anything I got tired. I’ve never felt tired in a fight. I think it was my nerves.”

“

I always laughed when [UFC president] Dana [White] said there's jitters that come along with this. I was like, 'My career prepared me for this.' But man, I was nervous today. I was so nervous.

” -- Daniel Cormier

Competing in UFC for the first time proved to be Cormier’s latest MMA learning experience. He gets a passing grade for weathering the nervous storm, surviving his latest cram session.

Defeating Mir, who appeared to be in the best shape of his career Saturday night, is a major accomplishment for the man who entered the bout with only 11 pro fights. Mir was determined not to drop two fights in a row, something he had never done in UFC.

So give Cormier credit, he was facing the best that Mir had to offer and he won. It wasn’t a memorable performance -- too much holding against the cage, not enough striking and nothing by way of ground attack. It was a win for Cormier -- methodical, but a good one nonetheless.

Though his cardio came into question for the first time -- nervousness did have much to do with it -- this win cements Cormier as one of the two or three best heavyweights in MMA. But UFC officials should not offer him a title shot, not yet.

Cormier needs one or two more fights inside the Octagon. He needs to know, not believe, that on fight night he will leave the arena victorious. Every step must be taken to never allow his nerves to betray him again.

A fully developed Cormier, physically and psychologically, could become a great UFC champion. And that would serve the promotion well.

So give Cormier one or two more appearances in the Octagon. Let him put on the type of high-octane performance inside the UFC cage that fans were used to seeing from him during his days with Strikeforce.

Allow Cormier to get his nerves completely under control. Then offer him a heavyweight title shot. He will not disappoint.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Cover your ears, Johny Hendricks.

UFC president Dana White told reporters on Thursday he’ll talk to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre soon. The two haven’t spoken since St-Pierre recorded his eighth consecutive title defense over Nick Diaz at UFC 158 last month.

Expectations have been that St-Pierre (24-4) would face Hendricks (15-1) later this year, but White said that bout would go on hold should St-Pierre express interest in a long-anticipated, lucrative superfight with middleweight champ Anderson Silva.

“I am literally going to call Georges St-Pierre today and see what he wants to do,” White said.

“If Georges says to me, ‘I want to fight Anderson Silva,’ you think I’m going to go, ‘No, you’re not. You’re fighting Johny Hendricks’?”

Silva (33-4) is scheduled to defend his 185-pound title against Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in July. In yet another superfight wrinkle, light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will defend his title against Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 next week in Newark.

White said he’s interested in any fight that involves two of the three champions, saying if both St-Pierre and Jones wanted Silva, “that’s a good problem to have.”

Hendricks would be the clear loser if St-Pierre opts to fight Silva next. The former collegiate wrestler is on a six-fight win streak and was already leapfrogged earlier this year by Diaz, who was coming off a drug suspension.

White said St-Pierre would not vacate the 170-pound title if he took the Silva fight, meaning Hendricks would have to wait or accept another fight.

“If [St-Pierre] lost, he could still go back down and fight Hendricks for the title.”

Mitrione fined, suspended -- but forgiven

UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione has been fined an undisclosed amount and remains suspended for comments made last week regarding transgender fighter Fallon Fox.

The UFC quickly suspended Mitrione following an appearance on “The MMA Hour,” where he referred to Fox as a “freak.” Fox is scheduled for her third pro fight in May.

Mitrione (6-2), who defeated Philip De Fries via first-round knockout earlier this month, spoke with UFC president Dana White following the incident and took responsibility for his actions -- but there is no timetable for his return.

“It’s up to us,” White said regarding Mitrione’s suspension. “I’m not mad at Mitrione. He did something stupid. He knows he didn’t handle it the right way.

“I’m sure he wants to know [when he’ll fight again]. We’ll let him know when we decide. He was fined, too. Enough to make him call me three times.”

• A Brazilian fan attacked UFC light heavyweight Chael Sonnen during an event last weekend in Las Vegas, according to White.

Sonnen, who challenges Jon Jones for the 205-pound title next week at UFC 159, was in Las Vegas to attend "The Ultimate Fighter" finale at Mandalay Bay Events Center. According to White, he was involved in a minor scuffle during the show.

“I don’t know if any of you guys saw this, but he was there shaking hands with fans and one guy says, ‘Chael! Chael!” White said. “Chael goes over there and the guy started swinging at him, trying to punch him. The guy goes, ‘I’m from Brazil!'”

Sonnen (27-12-1) was involved in a heated rivalry with Brazilian middleweight champ Anderson Silva from 2010 to 2012. He went 0-2 in two fights against him.

• Whether his teammate claims the UFC lightweight title on Saturday or not, Nate Diaz says he’s moving back to 170 pounds.

Diaz (16-8) meets lightweight Josh Thomson on Saturday. His teammate, Gilbert Melendez, will look to dethrone champion Ben Henderson in the night’s main event.

Regardless of the outcome of either fight, Diaz says he intends to move back to welterweight, where he compiled a 2-2 record from 2010 to 2011.

“I already fought everybody at lightweight,” Diaz said. “I don’t think there is anything for me in the lightweight division. I already beat everybody or fought everybody. The only person who beat me was Ben. What, I’m going to sit around and fight all the same guys again? That’s boring. There’s no motivation in that.”

• Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier still wants to fight UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones -- just maybe not as soon as he once thought.

Cormier (11-1) faces arguably the biggest challenge of his career on Saturday as he takes on former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the night’s co-main event.

The former U.S. Olympic wrestler has been quietly shedding weight for a potential trip to the 205-pound division. Cormier’s teammate, Cain Velasquez, currently holds the UFC heavyweight title.

Cormier has publicly expressed interest in fighting Jones previously, but now says he’d probably want a test fight at 205 pounds first. The 34-year-old experienced kidney failure while cutting weight in 2008 but is confident he can make 205.

“At first, I was so emotionally tied to [fighting Jones],” Cormier said. “I’ve thought about it, and I wouldn’t be opposed to fighting one time down there just to see how my body reacts to the weight cut. It would be very difficult to fight him in my first fight, a five-round fight.

“What if I get in a fight and I can’t do anything but wrestle because my arms are tired and my body isn’t responding to the weight cut? I don’t want that guy to be Jon Jones. Seriously, can you imagine standing in with him and not feeling your best?”

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- On camera and off. In the gym before, during and after workouts. One-on-one or in a group. Unbeaten heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier is the furthest thing from shy.

Expressing supreme confidence in his ability to remain undefeated on Saturday against former heavyweight champion Frank Mir at the HP Pavilion, Cormier, 34, believes that "when it comes to heart and drive I beat [Mir] every time."

"When I sit back and I honestly think about the fight I have a lot of advantages, and if I use them I should be OK," Cormier said prior to a recent training session at the American Kickboxing Academy. "He's a good heavyweight but when you really think about it there's a difference between a lifetime athlete and a guy that started doing something a little bit older. I think it's going to show in the fight.

"I've been competing my entire life. It's what I do. That's what I plan to do on April 20th. And if he's ready to raise himself to that competitive level then I'm going to have a tough fight on my hands. But if he isn't, then I'm just gonna run right over him."

Cormier makes his Octagon debut three and a half years after transitioning from amateur wrestler to professional mixed martial artist, and while it conflicts with his general disposition, the Strikeforce Grand Prix champion admitted that even he's surprised by how quickly he picked stuff up.

"I didn't anticipate having these kind of fights as soon as I did," Cormier said.

Stopping Antonio Silva and dominating a five-round decision against Josh Barnett sent a clear message that Cormier, squat and quick, is a name was worth remembering. Expectations set in, especially after Barnett, and he was matched with Mir for a bout late last year on one of the last Strikeforce cards. When Mir was injured, the fight was postponed and Cormier went from facing a highly dangerous and respected former champion to facing Dion Staring.

The contrast messed with Cormier, especially on fight night.

Competing in hostile environments around the world since he was a teenager didn't help make the situation any more comfortable for Cormier. Fighting Staring, an opponent nobody thought could win, prompted Cormier's impermeable confidence to spring a leak. Everything was about him and his future and not the competition, and that was different and uneasy.

"I think the most pressure situation I had was the last one because I knew that if I won that fight I was in for some really big fights," Cormier said. "I don't know what would have happened if Dion Staring would have beaten me, and that's what scares you: the unknown.

"There was a lot of pressure to just go out there and beat him up. That's not how it works. We're all professional fighters."

Yet if things line up the way Cormier expects them to, he sees himself running through Mir en route to the top of the heavyweight division, which is currently ruled by his friend and training partner Cain Velasquez. As a result there have been calls for Cormier to drop to 205. Mir suggested that he'll be the guy who proves Cormier's less-than-prototypical heavyweight frame will cost him at the highest level -- though results against Silva and Barnett suggest the opposite.

As far as light heavyweight goes, Cormier is willing to fight there despite a history of health issues related to weight cutting -- including kidney failure -- because, he said, regardless of whom he fights, including Jon Jones, he'll hold a significant edge.

History. His, to be specific.

He trusts his competitive experience and his natural ability will carry the day against all comers. It sounds cocky, but it's not. Cormier's confidence is infectious and heavily influenced by his drive and determination to be good at whatever it is he chooses to do.

The package, as Cormier described it, is the antidote of fear rather than the disease of arrogance.

"I'm determined to be the best that I can be, whether that be UFC champion or No. 1 contender or maybe I never fight for a belt," he said. "But if that's the best I can do as Daniel Cormier, then that's the best I can do. I'll be able to go on to the next phase of my life and be OK. I have a desire to be good at everything I do and I work my tail off to accomplish it.

"I'm fighting the best guys in the world now, you never know what's going to happen, but for me personally on April 20 I anticipate winning that fight in a manner that's going to make my teammates and coaches proud of what I did."

As a matter of fact, mixed martial arts is an exercise in proving what you're made of.

Cormier's success hasn't required that he show the world any special mettle yet, however "I know if I need to I'll be willing to."

UFC on Fox 7 will air on free network television from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., Saturday night. In the main event, UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson will defend his title against the debuting #1 contender Gilbert Melendez, who was the final Strikeforce lightweight champion. In the co-main events, Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier will face former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and Nate Diaz faces another UFC debutant in former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson. Here are the numbers you need to know for Saturday’s fights:

6: UFC decisions to start his career for Henderson, second among active UFC fighters behind flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. Henderson is the only fighter to start his UFC career with at least five consecutive decisions won.

Most UFC Decisions to Start Career, Active Fighters
Demetrious Johnson 7
Benson Henderson 6*
Diego Nunes 6
Nam Phan 6
*Won all decisions

10: Consecutive title fights for Melendez, who held the Strikeforce title from April 2009 to January 2013 when the organization was dissolved into the UFC. Melendez won four fights by decision and three by KO/TKO. His notable wins include rival Josh Thomson (twice) and DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki.

11: Wins by KO or TKO for Melendez, four under the Strikeforce banner. Henderson has been knocked down three times in his UFC/WEC career, most notably the jumping kick off the cage from Anthony Pettis at WEC 53.

9: This will be the ninth time Melendez will fight inside the HP Pavilion, the proverbial stomping grounds of Strikeforce. He is 7-1 in previous fights at the “Shark Tank,” losing the Strikeforce lightweight championship to Thomson in 2008.

21: Takedowns for Henderson in six UFC fights (3.5 per fight). Melendez has a 71 percent takedown defense but allowed a combined 13 takedowns in his two career losses (seven to Mitsuhiro Ishida, six to Thomson).

3.6: Strikes landed per minute by Melendez. During his seven-fight win streak, Melendez has outstruck his opponents 482-272 (plus-210) in significant strikes. Henderson absorbs 1.5 significant strikes per minute and only 30 in his last win over Melendez teammate Nate Diaz.

8: Mir has an eight-inch reach advantage over Cormier (79 inches to 71). That’s nothing new to Cormier, as he’s beaten Antonio Silva (82), Devin Cole (79.5) and Josh Barnett (78).

6: All six of Mir’s career losses have come by way of KO or TKO. The former UFC heavyweight champion has never lost back-to-back fights in his career. Seven of Cormier’s 11 career wins have come via strikes (five KO/TKO, two submissions due to strikes).

8: Submission wins by Mir inside the UFC Octagon, tied for second most all time. Cormier has faced only one submission attempt in his Strikeforce career (Barnett).

Most UFC Wins by Submission
Royce Gracie 11
Frank Mir 8
Nate Diaz 8
Kenny Florian 8

3: This is Mir’s first camp with Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, N.M. If he wins, Mir would be the third UFC heavyweight from Jackson’s to win in this calendar year, joining Shawn Jordan (UFC on Fox 6) and Travis Browne (TUF 17 finale).

5: Of his eight submission wins inside the UFC Octagon, five have earned Nate Diaz a UFC submission of the night bonus (second all time). Thomson has never been submitted in 25 professional fights and also has nine submission victories of his own (four in Strikeforce).

Most Submission of the Night Bonuses
Joe Lauzon 6
Nate Diaz 5
Terry Etim 4

208: Diaz landed 30 significant strikes in his title fight against Benson Henderson, 208 fewer than his victory over Donald Cerrone in two fewer rounds. Thomson will be tough to hit as well; he absorbs 1.8 strikes per minute, but did absorb 3.0 per minute in his last loss to Melendez.

LAS VEGAS -- A new face will appear in Frank Mir’s corner when he takes on Daniel Cormier at a UFC on Fox event in April -- Greg Jackson.

Mir, 33, plans to join Jackson in Albuquerque, N.M., for an eight-week camp beginning later this month. It’s the first time the Las Vegas native will train for a fight outside his hometown.

Following a second-round TKO loss to Junior dos Santos for the UFC title in May, Mir says he felt a need to modify his standard routine.

“I’ve always felt I have great trainers so there was no reason to leave, but my wife and I were talking about how I needed to change things up,” Mir told ESPN.com. “One of the things was maybe I should get out of town and get more focused.

“I’ve always been impressed with Greg Jackson’s game planning. I figured, before I retire, I want to be a part of that and see what makes this guy so successful.”

“

I've always been impressed with Greg Jackson's game planning. I figured, before I retire, I want to be a part of that and see what makes this guy so successful.

” -- Frank Mir, on moving to Albuquerque to train with Jackson

During the eight weeks, Mir (16-6) plans to fly home every weekend to see his family. He says the longest he’s ever gone without seeing his three children is four days. An eight-week absence was out of the question.

Five days out of the week, though, his career will receive his full attention. That hasn’t been the case, really, since he started a family. Recently, the two-time UFC heavyweight champion skipped a workout to sign his daughter up for softball. That kind of thing won’t happen in Albuquerque.

“I ended up working out in the garage with dumbbells,” Mir said. “I still got something in, but was it the same quality as if I went to the gym? No.”

Mir’s longtime head trainer Jimmy Gifford will join Jackson in the corner. Gifford says he is excited to see Mir willing to make changes this late in his career.

“Too many coaches want to make it about them. It’s about the fighter,” Gifford said. “Anything that makes my guy better, I’m fine with. This guy has been at the top of his game for years. For him to still search out ways to get better is great.”

Having Cormier as an opponent has appeared to motivate Mir. A former Olympic wrestler, Cormier (11-0) carries lots of momentum into his UFC debut.

After scoring a second-round TKO victory in his final Strikeforce appearance, Cormier publicly called for an April bout against Mir. Gifford texted his fighter that night to see if he was watching, and Mir responded, “I’ll sign his cast after the fight.”

“Level of competition is important,” Mir said. “He’s done most of his damage in Strikeforce. Not to downplay Strikeforce, but it’s not the UFC.

“I think it’s going to be another one of those things where people are destined to be disappointed. After our fight, he’s already said he’s going to 205 pounds. That doesn’t sound like a confident guy who wants to stay at heavyweight.”

Dan Henderson will get to Jon Jones before Daniel Cormier, according to UFC president Dana White. More »

Most wins in Strikeforce welterweight division
With his victory over Nate Marquardt for the Strikeforce welterweight title, Tarec Saffiedine won his sixth fight in the organization, tying him with former champion Nick Diaz for second in wins all time in the promotion's 170-pound division.

Tyron Woodley: 8
Tarec Saffiedine: 6
Nick Diaz: 6
Three others tied: 3

Most wins in Strikeforce history
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier defeated Dion Staring at the final event for the organization, finishing his Strikeforce career with eight wins, tied for fourth.

Gilbert Melendez: 11
Josh Thomson: 10
Luke Rockhold: 9
Daniel Cormier: 8
Tyron Woodley: 8

Strikeforce champs in UFC debuts
The five Strikeforce champions who are signed or expected to sign with the UFC are heavyweight champion Cormier, middleweight champion Rockhold, welterweight champion Saffiedine, lightweight champion Melendez and women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. They have a lot to live up to as former Strikeforce champions are 4-0 in their UFC debuts.

Alistair Overeem KO1 Brock Lesnar (UFC 141)
Dan Henderson W5 Mauricio Rua (UFC 139)
Nick Diaz W3 BJ Penn (UFC 137)
Jake Shields W3 Martin Kampmann (UFC 121)

Pride/WEC champs in UFC debuts
In comparison, the incumbent Pride and WEC champions were 0-4 when taking on a UFC fighter in their debut fight:

WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis L3 Clay Guida (TUF 13 finale)
Pride light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson L5 Quinton Jackson (UFC 75)
Pride middleweight champion Dan Henderson L2 Anderson Silva (UFC 82)
Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi L3 Kenny Florian (UFC Fight Night 21)

It has to be fight week for highly ranked heavyweight Daniel Cormier, because no one will find a man more excited these days than him.

Nothing gets Cormier's juices flowing like a fight. He loves competition -- the tougher the opposition, the better.

Cormier faces a relative unknown in Dion Staring on Saturday night in Oklahoma City in what will be Strikeforce's final event. While a fight with Staring wouldn't normally push Cormier's excitement to peak levels, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner hasn't been in the cage since May, when he claimed the tournament title with a lopsided unanimous decision over Josh Barnett.

An involuntary eight-month layoff is a long time for Cormier, so he is ready for the opportunity to again put his fists into another man's face.

"I'm a competitor. I love competition," the 10-0 Cormier told ESPN.com. "I want to get the rush of the emotions of going out there and fighting or wrestling. I want the rush of competition.

"It's the best gift that anyone can give me -- the ability to compete on a consistent basis. That's all I want."

It's also the reason Cormier can't wait for Saturday's bout. No disrespect to Staring -- he's the guy who said "yes" when Zuffa LLC officials offered him the fight.

Staring (28-7) isn't as high-profile as Cormier's original opponent, former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, but he always comes to fight.

What Staring might lack in physical skill and level of competition he makes up for with determination and aggression and will come to fight. Cormier is looking forward to facing an opponent who doesn't back down.

While Cormier is giving Staring the high-profile-opponent treatment, he is extremely confident of victory. When the horn sounds to start the three-round bout, Cormier intends to put a vicious beating on Staring.

Cormier will attack the heavy-handed Staring as if he is trying to derail the personal goals Cormier has mapped out for his not-too-distant future. After helping to pull the curtain down on Strikeforce, Cormier will turn his full attention to becoming a UFC champion.

He’s a fight, maybe two at most, from landing a title shot; Cormier knows that much. What he can't say definitively is who will be opposite him in the Octagon on championship night, other than it won't be current UFC heavyweight titleholder and training partner Cain Velasquez, who enlists Cormier as his wrestling coach.

UFC can't put enough money on the table to persuade these two to square off in the cage. That just isn't going to happen.

But Cormier has a Plan B in place when UFC calls with a title-shot offer. He will drop to 205 to fight light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

While it's a tentative plan, here’s how Plan B works: Cormier dismantles Staring -- as most expect he will -- before taking on Mir. Being that Cormier would like to fight every three or four months, the bout with Mir could take place sometime in April, with a source telling ESPN.com the fight could likely find its way to San Jose, Calif.

Regardless of when or where the fight happens, a victory over Mir would put Cormier smack dab in the center of the heavyweight title picture. That's when Cormier will need to finalize his career path.

With former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and top UFC contender Alistair Overeem recently cleared to resume his fighting career, a win Feb. 2 over Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva is sure to earn him a title bout with Velasquez.

Cormier will be watching that bout closely with his next move hinging on the outcome.

"That's when I have to make my decision," Cormier said. "I have to sit there and watch Overeem fight Cain and hope with everything in my body that Cain can beat him. I'm hoping that Cain can keep his belt and I move down to 205 by the end of the year. I would love to just go fight for that [light heavyweight] belt."

Cormier has already begun weighing in lighter for his heavyweight bouts. He checked in for his fight against Barnett in May at a lean 238 pounds.

He says the weight cut for that fight wasn't difficult and that he'll continue preparing himself for a possible high-profile showdown with Jones. Expect him to tip the scale under 240 pounds for Saturday's fight against Staring before weighing even less if an April tilt with Mir materializes.

By the time he potentially meets Jones later this year, an excited Cormier said he expects to be faster, more agile and just as strong.

"[Cutting to 205 pounds] would be tough," Cormier said, "but I would cut a lot of weight for wrestling. I would weigh in at 5 p.m. and wrestle at 9 a.m. If I weigh in at 4 p.m. [for MMA] and have more than 30 hours to recover and get my body back to feeling good, I should be OK. Thirty hours is a really long time.

"If anything, it's going to help me athletically. As I lose weight, I get faster. I can only imagine that I will be faster as I keep going down. But with that being said, even if I was to go down there and get a championship fight, it's an uphill battle. It's not like I'm going down there to fight somebody easier than the champion in the heavier division. Jon Jones is a tough hill to climb. It will be a very tough fight, but I will be up for it."

Nothing gets Cormier more excited than thoughts of becoming a UFC champion. The final few steps toward achieving that goal start Saturday night in Oklahoma City.

It’s fight week, and it’s flight week. No more Strikeforce after Saturday night. No more wondering if and when we’ll be sold on Josh Thomson-Gilbert Melendez IV. No more decagon, and no more second-class citizenry.

At long last, the long road ends. Hey, we’ll always have Frank Shamrock’s cosmetic dental braces.

Since it was a slow, awkward demise, Strikeforce’s last show comes as a relief. Bittersweet? A little. But this wasn’t like the cult of Pride. San Jose wasn’t far-off Japan. Lenne Hardt wasn’t involved, even if Fedor Emelianenko was. Some of Pride’s vital pieces were re-imagined as Strikeforcers (after stints, in some cases, as Afflictioners). In many cases, their myths came down long before the curtain.

And even still, there are some big names coming over to the UFC, fighters who will deepen the divisions. While Sean Shelby was struggling in 2012 to make fights out of whatever he could find in the nearly bare cupboards on Strikeforce’s roster, Joe Silva in 2013 has more pieces than he knows what to do with.

Here’s a look at five impact fighters who, as of Jan. 13, become the latest UFC intrigues.

Daniel Cormier
The late-bloomer Cormier comes over with momentum. For starters, his gradual ascension from wrestler to professional MMA fighter got a boost when Alistair Overeem was plucked from the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix. In went Cormier (the third alternate), who’d handled Jeff Monson in an understudy bout to stay loose. What did he do in the tournament? He destroyed Antonio Silva in the semis, for starters, with speed and power on the feet. Then he dominated Josh Barnett to cap things off. He’s part of the Strikeforce swan song this weekend, and still needs to get by Dion Staring, but it’s generally believed that Cormier is a threat to win the UFC title. The problem is a familial one: His AKA training partner Cain Velasquez currently holds the belt, and Cormier doesn’t want to trade punches with his friend. Conditions, conditions, always conditions.

Impact factor: High. The UFC’s heavyweight division isn’t as deep as some of the others, and with his tool set -- wrestling, hands, surprising agility for a hydrant -- Cormier feels like storm clouds gathering overhead.

Nate Marquardt
Current welterweight champion Nate Marquardt will be back in the UFC, where he never got the chance to debut at 170 pounds. How will he look there? That’s a good question. For one thing, Marquardt has barely fought in the past three years (elevated testosterone, injuries, the never christened BAMMA promotion thing), and has competed only once as a welterweight (his title-clinching win over Tyron Woodley in July). He’s 33 years old, and he’s won three of four fights. But he is coming into a weight class that is so congested at the top that UFC 158 was created just to sort it all out. Remember, Marquardt fought for the middleweight title back in mid-2007, and six years later he’s vying for another chance. Six. Years. Later. And this time he’s doing it as a welterweight, where Georges St-Pierre rules.

Impact factor: Moderate. After a 16-month absence, Marquardt looked great in his title fight with Woodley. But he has looked great in spots throughout his career, only to come up short. Maybe he’ll be revitalized as a welterweight and make a historic run, but the only thing he’s sustained in the past half-decade is inconsistency.

Gilbert Melendez
Oh yes, ol’ Gil. Melendez quickly became a martyr figure in the spiraling Strikeforce ordeal. Remember, UFC president Dana White promised that Melendez would be happy as a clam with the types of elite opponents they’d dredge up for him in Strikeforce. That was right after he signed his deal. Turns out that was a bit of unfounded optimism (though Thomson III was fun). Now the partition comes down between Melendez and that brooding cast of elite 155ers in the UFC. Stick Melendez in there against any of the top names and it’s instant drama. Gray Maynard? Cool. Donald Cerrone? Sick fight. Anthony Pettis? That barn will burn. Benson Henderson? Let’s see who’s the best in the world. Face it: Melendez is the one guy everybody wanted to see fighting in the UFC. Now it’s a reality.

Impact factor: High. Melendez’s knock is that he hasn’t fought the best guys on the planet. But he’s beaten the guys who have stood in front of him, and is ranked as one of the best pound-for-pound in the world. He carries a seven-fight win streak into the UFC. No reason to believe he can’t compete for (and win) the UFC gold.

Ronaldo Souza
Jacare, the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, is a quiet, sudden menace (much like his cousin, the alligator). He does work on the ground like nobody’s business. Yet in spot duty in 2012, he took care of Derek Brunson in 41 no-nonsense seconds with punches -- 41 seconds that Chris Leben likely studied in building up optimism toward his own fight with Brunson. Is standing with “Jacare” a little like playing with a grenade? Wouldn’t that be fun for one of the world’s best jiu-jitsu practitioners. Souza’s stock could soar if he gets by Ed Herman similarly in the final Strikeforce card. Do that and he enters the UFC as a top-10 middleweight. And the UFC’s 185-pound division, if you haven’t noticed, lacks challengers.

Impact factor: Moderate to high. Granted, Souza is 33 years old, but he will be trouble for anybody he faces. He didn’t get a second fight with Luke Rockhold in Strikeforce, but that possibility opens up for him in the UFC. He’s won six of seven fights, and really, since 2004, his only other loss was to Gegard Mousasi (via upkick).

Luke Rockhold
Somebody had better call up Tony Rubalcava and ask how he solved Rockhold back in 2007, Rockhold’s only loss to date. Not that it would do you any good. Rockhold has steadily progressed for the past five years in all areas; he’s become more precise, he’s stronger, he’s good in a scramble, his striking has become more formidable, his ground game solid, his head cool at all times. Along the way he won a title over Ronaldo Souza, treated a recharged Keith Jardine as a has-been and worked Tim Kennedy for five punishing rounds. Can he compete with Anderson Silva? It’s time to find out. But that’s my attitude. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto has Rockhold pegged as the next middleweight champion in the UFC, and Okamoto isn’t one for going out on foolhardy ledges.

Impact factor: High. Rockhold has only gotten better over the course of his career, a testament to training with the talent-rich cast at AKA. He’s a sinewy 6-foot-3, and he blends up violence and smarts. Bottom line is he’s a live wire at middleweight and that just happens to be a division in need of live wires.

Daniel Cormier has expressed his intention to start life in the UFC as a heavyweight, despite teammate Cain Velasquez's recent crowning as the division's champion. More »

During this entire Strikeforce mess that’s consumed the past 20 months, we still haven’t seen one of its champions fight for a UFC belt.

That’s kind of crazy, isn’t it? Remember when Zuffa purchased Strikeforce last year and we were all like, "Yay, now we get to see all the fights we want"? Those were happy times.

Some strange and frustrating events have taken place since. You can’t make up what’s happened with Strikeforce champions in the UFC so far.

Nick Diaz beat up a lightweight, lost to a welterweight, awkwardly retired, failed a drug test and was suspended. Alistair Overeem beat up a semi-retired Brock Lesnar, literally ran away from a random drug test in Nevada, failed it and was suspended.

Dana White went from expecting a large role in Strikeforce to completely washing his hands of it, seemingly overnight. Rumors of a dreaded "List" swirled, which contained names of Strikeforce fighters the UFC couldn’t legally touch.

In the meantime you, the fan, were like Jonah Hill in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," -- told there were legitimate reasons why things could not be a certain way, but not feeling any better about it. You just wanted to buy the shoes.

With Strikeforce reportedly closing its doors following a final event in January, the sun is finally shining on these matchups again. Everyone, it seems, is about to be under one roof.

So, let the fantasy matchmaking recommence. Here’s a guess as to how each Strikeforce champ will fare in the UFC.

Lightweight: Gilbert Melendez (21-2)

I asked the Twittersphere which Strikeforce fighter it was most amped about and Melendez is still No. 1, although not by much. Opinions on Melendez range from a definite UFC champ to most overrated lightweight in the world.

I’m somewhere in the middle. He looked ordinary in wins over Jorge Masvidal and Josh Thomson, but I attended both, and competing in front of low-energy, small-sized crowds in everything-to-lose situations had to be tough.

Melendez is entering the UFC’s deepest division, so it definitely pays off being as well-rounded as he is. He can stand with a Muay Thai specialist and go to the ground with a Division I wrestler.

Prediction: "El Nino" will be a constant in the top-10 ranks, but will come up short of UFC gold.

Welterweight: Nate Marquardt (32-10-2)

Ask yourself a question: Would you pick Marquardt in fights over Johny Hendricks and Martin Kampmann? Even if you say no, you had to at least think about it, right? Those two are at the top of the welterweight heap right now, and I’d be tempted to favor Marquardt over either of them.

There’s less mystique around Marquardt because he’s more of a UFC fighter serving detention than a true member of the Strikeforce family. He’s a scary addition to 170, though, which has gotten deeper but is still wide open to a fighter who can string a few wins together.

Prediction: Marquardt beats Tarec Saffiedine in January, then fights a rejuvenated Dan Hardy later in 2013.

Middleweight: Luke Rockhold (10-1)

Look at the theme going on with UFC champions. With the exception of flyweight and heavyweight, every division has a physically imposing title-holder. Jose Aldo has a tough cut. Ben Henderson is enormous. Look at the length of Anderson Silva, Jon Jones.

Rockhold brings that type of size and athleticism to the cage. It helps him dictate range, defend takedowns and neutralize submission specialists on the ground. He’s got a good work ethic and time on his side (he's only 28). There’s a lot to like here.

Prediction: If Rockhold were in the UFC, he’d be getting the same attention of a Chris Weidman. He’s still raw right now, but unless Anderson Silva fights until he’s 50 (probably not, but who knows?) Rockhold will win a UFC belt in his career.

Heavyweight: Daniel Cormier (10-0)

Until the win over Josh Barnett, it was still too early for me to jump on the Cormier bandwagon. He had knocked out Antonio Silva, but Silva gets hit a lot. He’s got the Olympic wrestling pedigree, but he’s undersized and got into the game so late.

The win over Barnett infected me with DC fever just like everyone else. His wrestling is second to none and he’s incorporated it well into his new sport. He’s an even better athlete than you expect with surprising speed and he’s proved he has sufficient knockout power one needs in the heavyweight division.

Prediction: As good as Cormier is, I still don’t see him beating Junior dos Santos and he won’t fight teammate Cain Velasquez. Those two things significantly lower his chances at the heavyweight belt. He’s talked of a move to 205, but that gets to be dicey as we don’t know how the weight cut would go, and Jon Jones is a tough matchup.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez claims Daniel Cormier wants to enter the UFC at light heavyweight, and Velasquez is adamant his training partner would beat Jon Jones. More »