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Reigning UFC Heavyweight champion and former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier is undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters to ever set foot into the Octagon. Since he moved to the UFC from sister promotion StrikeForce in 2013 he’s fought on 13 occasions, winning 11 of them – with his only two losses coming to his heated rival Jon Jones, who saw his second victory over Cormier overturned due to a positive PED test.
Over that time ‘DC’ has won both the UFC Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight titles, and has made multiple successful defences of both belts. He’s finished great fighters by both KO and submission and he’s done it all with class and respect, becoming one of the most popular fighters on the roster at the same time.
With his latest title defence against Stipe Miocic right around the corner, here is a look at Daniel Cormier’s 5 best UFC fights.
#5 vs. Volkan Oezdemir – UFC 220
Cormier had a lot to prove to the UFC fanbase coming into his Light-Heavyweight title defense against Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 in January 2018. For those who’ve forgotten, ‘DC’ had actually lost his title to Jon Jones some six months prior, but when Jones tested positive for a banned substance, the result of their fight was overturned and the title was handed back to Cormier.
The fight still felt like a loss, though – PEDs or no PEDs – and so to many fans Cormier was considered somewhat of a paper champion. His fight with Oezdemir – who was 3-0 in the UFC and had knocked out top-ranked contenders Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa in quick fashion – was, therefore, his chance to redeem himself and to prove that he was the real champion at 205lbs.
And redeem himself he did. Oezdemir came out swinging, looking for another early finish, but this time his opponent’s chin held up, and Cormier quickly got to his preferred position – the clinch. From there, the Swiss fighter found himself beaten up and taken down, and only the buzzer saved him from a likely first-round submission loss.
The second round was more of the same, except this time, Cormier was able to seal the deal. He took Oezdemir down with ease, advanced to a mounted crucifix, and finished him off with a series of punches to the head.
Sure, the fight was business as usual for Cormier – Oezdemir was heavily overmatched – but it was still a highly impressive performance, and more to the point, it proved that with Jones out of the way, ‘DC’ ruled the 205lbs division with an iron fist.
#4 vs. Dan Henderson – UFC 173
It’s almost hard to believe it now, but back in 2014 there were a lot of questions over how Daniel Cormier would handle a drop to 205lbs. After all, when he’d attempted to cut to 211lbs for the 2008 Olympic wrestling team, his kidneys had shut down and he’d wound up hospitalised.
The year began well for him though – he managed to make the weight, and quickly squashed newcomer Patrick Cummins.
The real test for him would come a few months later, against MMA legend and fellow Olympic wrestler Dan Henderson. Sure, Henderson was 43 years old and at the tail end of his career, but he was still tough as nails, far more proven at the top level of the UFC than Cormier and two months prior, he’d violently KO’d former UFC champ Shogun Rua.
Many fans expected a close fight – but instead, Cormier dished out a massacre. ‘DC’ threw him around like a rag doll, completely outwrestling a man recognized as one of the most credentialed wrestlers in MMA history. And on the feet, Henderson’s vaunted right hand was completely nullified by Cormier’s superior speed and power in the clinch.
Eventually, Henderson was forced to give up the ghost in the third round, finding himself choked unconscious by a rear-naked choke after being thrown around by Cormier like a small child.
Nobody had ever treated Henderson this way – like a ‘D’ level fighter – and the victory sent a serious message; that Cormier was as serious a contender at 205lbs as he had been at Heavyweight.
#3 vs. Anthony Johnson – UFC 187
Daniel Cormier actually has two wins over arguably the most feared Light-Heavyweight of the last few years – knockout artist Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson – on his ledger, but for me the more impressive performance came in their first fight in 2015, at UFC 187.
The fight had been put together when Jon Jones – who had beaten Cormier four months prior – was stripped of the title due to legal issues, and so rather than Johnson facing ‘Bones’, he found himself faced with ‘DC’ for the vacant title. Questions surrounded how Cormier’s chin would hold up to the incredible power of ‘Rumble’ – and those questions were all answered.
Literally the first exchange of the fight saw Cormier knocked flying by a huge right hand from Johnson, and for a few moments at least, it looked like ‘Rumble’ would capture the title. But unlike many of Johnson’s previous opponents, Cormier managed to survive, and moments later, he turned the tables on his monstrous foe.
A takedown put Johnson on the defensive, and like so many other fighters, he soon succumbed to Cormier’s phenomenal wrestling game. By the second round, ‘Rumble’ was sucking wind and simply couldn’t get Cormier off him, and in the third round, Cormier was able to find a dominant position and sink a fight-ending choke, forcing Johnson to submit.
The fight showed that not only was Cormier an incredibly tough opponent for anyone to contend with, but also that his chin could hold up to perhaps the hardest hitter in the game. So often a frontrunner, Cormier had to come back from the brink in this one – making it one of his greatest ever performances.
#2 vs. Alexander Gustafsson – UFC 192
After capturing his first UFC title at 205lbs by beating Anthony Johnson at UFC 187, Daniel Cormier was faced with his first defense just 5 months later. His opponent? The man who’d pushed his great rival Jon Jones harder than anyone else – Swedish superstar Alexander Gustafsson.
And despite UFC 192 garnering less hype than many of 2015’s big shows, the fans in attendance in Houston, Texas were treated to a stone-cold classic.
The fight actually started as business as usual for Cormier; he clinched with Gustafsson, overpowered him from there and took him down, and used his wrestling skill to dominate the Swede.
But rather than wilt, ‘The Mauler’ turned the tide in the second round, using his range and movement to land big shots on Cormier from the outside while absorbing big shots from ‘DC’ from close quarters.
The third and fourth rounds were almost impossible to score; Cormier continued to abuse Gustafsson from the clinch in the third before being caught with a huge knee that would’ve put many fighters out cold. Somehow though ‘DC’ had a chin strong enough to survive, and with both men landing huge blows, the fight was likely anyone’s going into the fifth.
And despite Gustafsson continuing to throw heavy leather, it was the final round that saw Cormier steal the narrow victory, pushing a harder pace than the Swede and just about edging some incredible exchanges.
The judges eventually awarded Cormier a split decision – and it’s telling that while he’s gone onto more successes, Gustafsson was arguably never the same again after such an incredible war. In terms of fight quality, this was probably the best showing of Cormier’s career.
#1 vs. Stipe Miocic – UFC 226
In terms of entertainment value and fight quality, nothing in Daniel Cormier’s career comes close to the Alexander Gustafsson fight – but in terms of his greatest performances, you simply can’t argue against the fight that made him the first man to hold the UFC’s Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight title simultaneously.
The fight in question? His clash with Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 in July 2018.
The two men had essentially cleaned out their respective divisions, making this a rarity – a genuinely justified ‘superfight’ – but for most observers, the advantages lay with Miocic.
He’d defended his Heavyweight title on 3 occasions – a UFC record – and with huge punching power, as well as impressive speed and cardio to go with his tremendous wrestling, it felt like he had a lot of advantages over the smaller Cormier.
As it turned out, none of that mattered when it came to fight time. Not only was Cormier’s chin strong enough to absorb some heavy shots from Miocic, but he also had somewhat of a secret weapon; his skill in the clinch. Every time the two men tied up, Cormier was able to overpower his opponent – and more importantly, he was able to land big shots as they separated.
Eventually, late in the first round, those big shots on the exit paid off. As they broke out of the clinch, Cormier caught Miocic with a clean right hook, sending him crashing down – and moments later he left him unconscious with some follow-up punches, bouncing his head off the canvas.
It was a violent finish and one that stunned the MMA world. Not only had Cormier dethroned Miocic to claim his second UFC title, but he’d also made it look easy. After this fight there could be no doubt – Cormier was one of the best fighters in MMA history, and there’s simply no question to me that of all the great fights in his career, this win was his most impressive.
