Daniel Cormier is definitely on his grisly right now. The former Olympian earned a spectacular TKO win against knockout artist Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 and has immediately accepted a newer and bigger challenge in current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
The highly anticipated 27th season of The Ultimate Fighter will see Miocic coaching against Cormier, the light heavyweight champion. Following the series, which debuts Wednesday, April 18 on FS1, the two will battle for the heavyweight crown during the 7th annual UFC International Fight Week (July 3-7) at UFC 226: MIOCIC vs. CORMIER at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, July 7.
DRIVEN S1 E1: DANIEL CORMIER PART 1
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Cormier is a passionate fighter that has become polarizing for his strong belief system and his battles against Jon Jones.
Cormier’s second defeat to Jones at UFC 214, which he lost via knockout in the third round after a head kick and a barrage of strikes on the ground, was overturned when it was announced that Jones was flagged for a potential doping violation by USADA stemming from his test sample that was collected after weigh-ins. He tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid.
Cormier has worked hard to get the legacy of those Jones losses out of his mind, and get back to the man that defeated Josh Barnett to become the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion and who twice submitted Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Now, he’s aiming to test himself in his original heavyweight division, and he wants to make an impact statement.
DRIVEN S1 E1: DANIEL CORMIER PART 2
An exclusive 2 part series on the life of a future UFC Champion
A win over Miocic would definitely cement Cormier as one of the best fighters ever. Jon Jones is his athletic better but with the stench of cheating surrounding his tainted legacy, it lends to Cormier being looked at within a different prism.
The true test of a fighter is to dominate in not only their God-given weight class ,but also in others. And Cormier has already achieved that. Knowing that he left the heavyweight division for fear of fighting one of his best friends and training partners in Cain Velasquez was honorable, but for Cormier this is personal. It is not even far-fetched to think that he might have to fight against Velasquez in the future. And when a legacy is at stake, it is probable that he will do it.
We must look at Daniel Cormier as a true symbol of athletic excellence and fortitude like his welterweight champion counterpart in Tyron Woodley. And with this step up in competition, he is looking to let the world know that he stands in a league of his own.
