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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight giant, Daniel Cormier will rise on Heavyweight to try to defeat the pivot of the division, Stipe Miocic, this Saturday night (July 7, 2018) at UFC 226 at Inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has undoubtedly been a road filled with ups and downs for "DC", but officially the champion is lossless since 2015. Jon Jones drug use and drama aside, Cormier's is consolidated as a great Light Heavyweight of all time in recent years, and he is now looking to enter the GOAT
The best way to achieve this goal is to skip one weight clbad and topple another man walking on a similar path. It will be quite a challenge for Cormier, but there is every chance that the Olympian is up to it.
Let's take a look at his skills:
Striking
In his last two fights, there has been improvement in Cormier's boxing. There are certainly still responsibilities in his defense, but Cormier's balance and attack have never been so beautiful
. Opposed to Volkan Oezdemir and Jon Jones, Cormier is better able to make his jab. While holding out his hand and fighting with his opponent, Cormier suddenly jumped into a jab. Just by establishing this threat, Cormier has done a better job of competing with these faster opponents.
In Jones's second bout, Cormier did a good job early to kick his opponent's legs. Many of those kicks came at the end of his combinations – which is great – but he also countered the kicks. For example, after Jones attempted to trample Cormier's leading leg, "DC" immediately returned with a hard down shot while Jones was out of position (GIF).
Most of the time, Cormier hits, he falls in his little, which often allows him to drive all of a sudden into a takedown. From the point of view of avoiding backlashes, however, it is a risky move. However, against Oezdemir in particular, Cormier did a good job of staying on his back leg when Oezdemir attacked. Many of Oezdemir's wider shots failed or were deflected because Cormier was in a good position and had time to react.
Overall, Cormier works with a large number of jabs and crosses, mixing blows to the body as well. Cormier does not often throw in extended combinations, mainly with two combinations of punches. To get away from it, Cormier did a great job mixing up the level changes in his attack. Often, reminding his opponent of the threat of the shot, Cormier disrupts the timing and falls hands before crashing with hard knocks.
Perhaps the best part of Cormier's strike is his hand-to-hand work. Melee in the fight may be a little different, but Cormier's expertise on posture control certainly carries in the cage. It's hard to describe without really having experience dealing with a really great wrestler, but there's a different level to push and pull at a distance.
In the case of Cormier, this most often results in an effective uppercut. Particularly in his fights with Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, Cormier was hanging on his opponent's neck with only one tie. It's a horrible wearing technique that breaks posture and undermines energy, but Cormier will also bloody his opponent with the other hand using uppercuts (GIFs). The one-neck tie and Cormier's various options are very important to his game, as well as the subject of this week's technical presentation.
Cormier can also try to catch the double collar tie and land on his knees. At any melee point – from the double-neck tie to a single under-hook – Cormier is likely to shoot his opponent's head and start throwing uppercuts. He is also aggressive at the break, trying to leap with a heavy left hook and catch his lazy opponent.
Although Cormier relies heavily on his hands, he is also a good kicker. His round kicks are quite powerful, and they often punctuate his combinations. In the last year or two, Cormier has worked more with the front kick, which can help his opponent to recover.
Defensively, there are definitely holes in Cormier's game. His hands often start to dive when he combines, which makes him vulnerable to punches, especially when he is looking at his punches. In addition, Cormier showed a weakness to body shots. A single kick will not make it fall to the ground, but it affects and slows it down. Steroids or not, Jones exploited these weaknesses perfectly in the second fight. Cormier started strong and probably won each of the first two rounds, but it was clear that Jones' dedication to body shots slowed him down. In the third, Jones kicked hard, Cormier's hands fell and the big wrestler was shot.
Wrestling
Cormier has strong arguments as the best wrestler in the UFC. The Olympian is masterful in all parts of the grounding, setting up his shots well, transitioning with ease, and usually finishing with a hard slam. Only Jones was able to stand up to his fight, and even then, neither man could control the other on the mat for more than a few seconds.
Cormier's takedown is his best weapon. "DC" is an expert of this position and probably knows a dozen potential finishes once on the spot. All the little details of his shooting and finishing – whether it's his grip, the pressure of his hips or his posture – are perfectly realized. All these years of practice and experience are what makes Cormier successful and allows him to make excellent defensive wrestlers as children (GIF).
Mostly Cormier pulls, it's for the high crotch. Often using a roller to set up the shot, Cormier will drive into the hips of his opponent. In addition, Cormier will sometimes just fall and turn a corner when his opponent advances with punches, which he has successfully done against "Rumble" several times (GIF). Once Cormier successfully enters the hips of his opponent, his opponent will probably take a turn. Cormier is simply a master of the end of the leg and no matter how his opponent seeks to defend, Cormier usually has an answer. After attempting to throw the pipe and dump his enemy on the mat – the standard crotch finish that Cormier routinely achieves – Cormier will react accordingly to what his opponent is trying to defend.
For example, Barnett was able to keep his balance when Cormier first tried to dump him. However, Josh Barnett did not use a hook to keep Cormier leaning or even fighting his hands, allowing "DC" to easily push his hips and lift the Heavyweight into the air (GIF). Otherwise, Cormier will try to get out the remaining leg. While keeping a good grip on the leg, Cormier can use his legs to land on the inside or on the outside. If these trips fail, Cormier is usually in the position to move to a double leg and run across his opponent.
He can also try throwing the pipe several times, attacking each time the balance of his opponent. -leg, Cormier will often work hand-to-hand. He is very strong physically from this position, which means that he is happy to work punches, pinch his enemy in the fence, or seek disbadembly. When it's tight, Cormier uses a wide variety of disbademblies. For example, he is a big fan of the inner journey, driving his opponent to the back before hanging his leg. Alternatively, Cormier will react with a smooth side drop that his opponent pushes back into him.
Cormier's defense struggle is remarkable. More often than not, the takedowns simply bounce on him. Against other elite heavyweights from Jones and Gustafsson, Cormier may have been knocked down a few times, but he was able to stand up quickly without much difficulty.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
A Brown Belt In the Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Cormier tends to work harder to control and hit than to surrender, which is common among athletes at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) and among decorated wrestlers in general. At the same time, Cormier is a determined opportunist, ready to take any available finish.
To his credit, Cormier was more active than usual in trying to subdue Anthony Johnson the first time. He tried to kimura and the right arm "Rumble" from inside the half-guard, which can be difficult to complete. Still, this can be done, and both moves are low-risk attacks that are integral to Cormier's game.
In addition, they made Johnson work and slowly emptied his gas tank.
Cormier will also look for naked rear strangulation, which represents each of his four submission victories. There is not much – Cormier breaks down his opponent's head until it is easy to squeeze his neck and squeeze him. His style of top control and rhythm is brutal, opening opportunities for throttling just by the pressure. In the first round of his fight against Oezdemir, Cormier made a grounding, climbed his back and locked a choke in about 15 seconds, although the bell prevented his fifth bid from winning.
Defensively, Cormier has not been threatened all that often. When he went on the ground with Barnett, Cormier did a good job of staying safe in the guardhouse and catching uncomfortable elbows. Once Barnett opened and started attacking, Cormier simply moved away and released him. Similarly, Cormier had little difficulty on the mat with black belts like Frank Mir, Roy Nelson and Anderson Silva
Conclusion
Two things are also undeniable in Daniel Cormier: He is one of the most great lightweights of all time and his legacy is deeply linked to Jon Jones. Cormier already has a great legacy, but perhaps this challenge to the throne of heavyweights is no longer an attempt to overtake "Bones" and be known for a great triumph rather than anything else.
*****
Andrew Richardson, a purple Brazilian jiu-jitsu belt, is a professional fighter who trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. In addition to learning alongside world-clbad talent, Andrew has spotted opponents and developed winning strategies for many of the sport's most elite fighters.
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