UFC 241: Daniel Cormier's 5 greatest UFC fights

#3 vs. Anthony Johnson – UFC 187

Cormier came back from the brink to defeat the dangerous Anthony Johnson

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.