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Daniel Cormier is set to take on Stipe Mioic at UFC 252 this weekend, as he challenges for the UFC heavyweight championship for the second time in his career. Cormier, 41, has indicated already that he wants to retire after this fight regardless of the outcome.
This is the third time both men will be standing across each other inside the octagon. The score between them is currently set at 1-1, with Cormier finishing Mioic at UFC 226, and Miocic returning the favor at UFC 241. The winner of this rubber match might well be dubbed as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history.
Cormier has fought some legends throughout his career in the form of Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Anderson Silva, Anthony Johnson, Alexander Gustafsson, and many more.
Before the crucial and much-awaited bout at UFC 252 we take a look back at Cormier's best 5 performances in MMA.
1.Daniel Cormier vs Antonio "Big Foot" Silva (Strikeforce heavyweight GP)
Antonio "Big Foot" Silva was supposed to take on Fabricio Werdum in the semifinal of Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix tournament. But Werdum got hurt and was replaced by Daniel Cormier.
Cormier, who was 8-0 in MMA at that time, was relatively unknown going into the fight. On the contrary "Big Foot" was one of the most famous heavyweights of the planet and was coming off a TKO victory over Fedor Emelianenko.
Cormier, a former Olympian in 2008, has always been known for his wrestling pedigree mainly. But he showed some fiery striking against Silva. His powerful hands combined with some fast and crisp boxing turned out to be too much even for a veteran striker like "Big Foot". Cormier caught Silva early with an uppercut, finishing the fight inside 4 minutes and moved onto the final.
2. Cormier vs Barnett (Strikeforce heavyweight GP Final)
After a win over Antonio Silva in 2011, Cormier moved onto the final of the tournament and faced one of the very best in the business Josh Barnett.
Barnett was a veteran of the game and was one of the most feared fighters back then. Cormier, on the other hand, was nowhere near as experienced as Barnett. He was a promising fighter with great wrestling pedigree at that point of time.
tt and provided one of the most historic moments in Strikeforce history. The image of Cormier landing a slam takedown against Barnett is iconic to this day. DC went on to win a unanimous decision and became the Strikeforce heavyweight champion.
A dominant victory like that over a legend in Barnett announced DC's arrival on the big stage.
UFC went on to take over Strikeforce. Cormier, who was the winner of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix, went in to the UFC as a feared contender and a fighter to always keep an eye on.
3.Cormier vs Frank Mir (UFC on FOX 7)
In 2013, Strikeforce was taken over by the UFC. Some of the veterans including Jorge Masvidal, Yoel Romero, Gilbert Melendez, including Cormier made their UFC debut on the UFC on FOX 7 card.
Cormier came up against former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in his first appearance inside the octagon. Mir had been one of the true legends of the sport, and been competing at the highest level for over a decade at that point.
But DC showed his brute strength and raw power in the clinch against Mir. Also, some fancy kicking display was shown by Cormier, a part of his game we don't see anymore from him. He even attempted a jumping head kick.
Mir did manage to land some body shots on DC. But the mixture of wrestling, striking and clinch game on Cormier's part proved to be enough in the 3 round showdown.
Cormier won on Judge's scorecard, getting a unanimous decision victory.
A win on his UFC debut against a former champion like Frank Mir, who is considered as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, was certainly a big achievement for Cormier.
4. Cormier vs Henderson ( UFC 173)
Dan Henderson is one of the most decorated fighters in the history of MMA. He was a former Olympic wrestler and the last Strikeforce light heavyweight champion. Henderson was also a former two-division Pride FC champion.
off at UFC 173, Cormier turned up with perhaps the best performance of his MMA career. DC absolutely dominated "Hendo" from the start. And after getting hold of Henderson, DC ragdolled him on will. Landing a slam takedown, multiple trips, throwing Henderson across the octagon. Ultimately Cormier secured a third-round submission finish. But nobody has ever dominated Dan Henderson inside the octagon like that before or again.
Checkout Cormier's octagon interview after the fight.
Dominating one of the toughest human beings on the planet was a huge announcement on DC's part. He called out the light heavyweight champion Jon Jones after the fight, and went on to fight for the title at UFC 182
It was a stunning win on DC's part and perhaps his most commanding performance inside the octagon.
5. Cormier Vs Miocic 1 (UFC 226)
Daniel Cormier moved up to heavyweight to challenge Stipe Miocic for the championship. It was his 3rd fight in the division in the UFC. But he hasn't fought in heavyweight in almost 5 years.
Miocic on the other hand, set the record for most successful title defenses in UFC heavyweight history after his win against Francis Ngannou, before that. But Cormier stopped the long-standing champion in the first round, as he connected with a solid punch while being in the clinch.
Given Stipe's well-known ability to withstand damage and take shots, it was a monumental win for DC. In fact many fans and experts were shocked to see DC win so easily and so early in the fight. But it only adds to Cormier's credit though. Coming up a division and finishing a dominant champion like Miocic was certainly one of the most high points even for Cormier, who have had a highly decorated career.
Checkout Cormier vs Miocic 1 at UFC 226.
DC went on to become the champ champ, as he was also the light heavyweight champion at that time, the second fighter in UFC history to achieve that feat after Conor McGregor.
