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The UFC light heavyweight division has always been unique. It's the crossroads between middleweight and heavyweight. Light heavyweights like Quinton Jackson, Anthony Johnson and Jan Blachowicz are all powerhouses. Meanwhile, fighters like Lyoto Machida, Alexander Gustafsson and former champ Jon Jones have relied more on precision and technique.
Some of the biggest stars in the UFC and legends of the sport have fought in 205lbs including Frank Shamrock, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and Anderson Silva.
Jon Jones is often considered the most prolific light heavyweight of all time. He is an unbeaten champion inside the octagon, with his only loss being due to disqualification. Jones also holds numerous other records.
On the flip side of the coin is Daniel Cormier. Cormier is among the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. He was a national champion in wrestling with a legendary career at Strikeforce. He was a two-division champion at the UFC.
Both Jones and Cormier were also part of arguably the biggest UFC rivalry. While 'Bones' may be unbeaten, he has committed many offenses. Here are five reasons why Daniel Cormier can be considered the greatest LHW of all time.
#5. From wrestling to the UFC
Daniel Cormier started wrestling in high school. By the end of his high school wrestling career, he had become a three-time state champion. He then became a two-time junior college national champion. 'DC' then made his transition to freestyle wrestling. In 2003, he won gold in the Pan American Games.
From 2003 to 2007, he was the senior national champion wrestler. He also went to the 2004 Olympics but lost in the semi-finals. Cormier had to pull out of the 2008 Olympics due to kidney failure while cutting weight. After the incident, he transitioned to MMA.
Cormier used his wrestling to dominate opponents inside the octagon. He pressured them constantly and was a master of single-leg takedowns. In the clinch, he dictated positioning and made his opponents lose balance. He even used his technique and strength to slam larger opponents to the ground.
On the ground, it was a similar story. Cormier used his superior wrestling to get on top or establish side control. He then brutalized opponents with ground-and-pound or latched on to submission holds.
#4. More than a UFC champion
A unique aspect of the former UFC champion's career has been his work outside of fighting. He started as an analyst for FOX but got his big break in 2016. Since then, he has become quite popular as a commentator. He now regularly appears alongside Joe Rogan and Jon Anik.
Cormier brings his experience as a fighter to the commentator's table. He analyzes the action from a fighter's point of view rather than just an observer. From the biggest PPV events to UFC fight nights to various pre and post-fight shows, 'DC' can be seen everywhere.
The 42-year-old also gives back to sports. Cormier is the assistant coach at AKA and the head wrestling coach at California's Gilroy High School.
#3. A champion at Strikeforce
Historically wrestlers have done well in MMA. An accomplished wrestler, 'DC' had a solid base to grow his skills. He started training at the American Kickboxing Academy. Training with legends such as Cain Velasquez helped him improve his striking. In 2009, Daniel Cormier made his MMA debut at Strikeforce. He stopped Gary Frazier via second-round TKO.
The future UFC champion would only improve. In 2010 he fought a total of five times in different promotions. All his wins were via first-round stoppage. He then competed and won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Legends like Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum were part of the competition. It was 'DC', however, who emerged victorious by beating Josh Barnett in the final.
During this early phase, Cormier's style of fighting would evolve. In most of his matches, he was the physically smaller fighter. However, he effectively used his wrestling to close the distance against longer fighters. The experience he acquired fighting against world-class competition would prove invaluable.
His flawless Strikeforce career is an achievement in itself. But how he had grown as a fighter was on full display during his UFC light heavyweight run.
#2. A clean drug-testing record
'DC' is a UFC legend for many reasons. His only issue has been weight management. He has been disciplined in every other aspect of the fight game. The proof of this discipline is his stellar drug-testing record.
'DC' was the first mixed martial artist under USADA to reach 50 clean tests. Cormier also has 30 clean tests from his wrestling days. As of March 2020, the 42-year-old had passed a total of 80 drug tests.
Jones remains unbeaten, but from 2015 to 2017, he failed three drug tests.
#1. Two-division UFC champion
Daniel Cromier defeated heavyweight Frank Mir in his UFC debut. He soon moved down to light heavyweight. In his first fight at 205lbs, Cormier TKO'd Patrick Cummins in round one. In his next bout, he dominated veteran and MMA legend Dan Henderson. Henderson had no answer to Cormier's superior wrestling.
The former Strikeforce champ was then booked to face Jon Jones. Tensions between the pair even resulted in a physical confrontation on the UFC 178 press tour. On fight-night, Jones won a hard-fought unanimous decision.
However, 'Bones' soon got stripped of his title due to a hit-and-run incident. So 'DC' fought Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson for the vacant light heavyweight title and won. He then edged out Alexander Gustafsson in a split decision win. A second fight with Jones got canceled. The former champion tested positive for performance enhancers and was removed from the UFC 200 card.
Anderson Silva replaced Jones on late notice, but 'The Spider' could not defeat 'DC'. Arguably the best middleweight in UFC history could not withstand Cormier's wrestling. Cormier followed this up with a second victory over 'Rumble' via submission.
'Bones' and 'DC' finally met again at UFC 214, and Cormier lost. However, Jones again tested positive for performance enhancers. He was stripped and 'DC' was reinstated as light heavyweight champ. Cormier moved up to heavyweight after beating Volkan Oezdemir. At UFC 226, he defeated Stipe Miocic to become the heavyweight champion.
'DC' became only the second man to hold two UFC titles simultaneously. The Olympian has lost three times in his career. But his achievements are yet to be matched by any other light heavyweight, including Jon Jones himself.
