Source: MMA Fighting
Story:
Cain Velasquez was in Las Vegas promoting his UFC 146 fight with Big Foot Silva this weekend when he was asked if he thought Black Fedor, Daniel Cormier who won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix this past weekend, deserved a shot at the UFC heavyweight title. Velasquez said yes. While it may seem strange for a UFC fighter to be so welcoming of another promotion’s fighter, it should be known that Velasquez and Cormier are training partners at AKA. Cormier is also Velasquez’s wrestling coach so its no wonder Cain thinks so highly of Cormier. Other UFC fighters have already gone on record of saying they don’t believe a fighter from another promotion, champion or not, deserves an immediate title shot. Most notably, Michael Bisping and Mark Munoz recently said they don’t believe ex Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard should get a title shot should he get past Brian Stann in August. I have a feeling if you polled some of the top heavyweights in the UFC, they would agree that Cormier should not get an immediate title shot. Its only natural considering that he would take their place at the top of the contender list.
Blogger Opinion:
Remember though that Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett still have one more fight left on their Strikeforce contracts. Additionally, both men suffered broken hands that will possibly require surgery. Cormier has already said he expects to be back at the end of 2012. But with the Strikeforce heavyweight roster being absorbed by the UFC, who are Cormier and Barnett going to fight? One solution is to bring a UFC heavyweight over to Strikeforce for a one time fight. Cormier suggested Shane Carwin could be a good fit as he is coming back from back surgery. Carwin would be a good fit since he is coming off of two losses to Brock Lesnar and JDS, Carwin would have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by derailing a hot Daniel Cormier. Another good matchup for Cormier could be fan favorite Mark Hunt who had to pull out of this weekend’s fight with Stefan Struve with an injury. Outside choices that I would like to see happen are Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem. Tell me you don’t think its a good idea to see white Fedor taking on black Fedor. Winner gets to keep the name Fedor. I think this fight could happen if Fedor is lured back into action after his “retirement” match with Pedro Rizzo. Remember Fedor used to fight on Strikeforce. An Overeem fight would really be hard to pull off since he won’t get licensed in time. But it would an interesting matchup and a good test for Cormier. Regardless of who the opponent is, Zuffa should give Cormier a legit contender to test him out since he will most likely join the UFC roster after. It only makes sense to prove Cormier is a contender before he lands in the UFC. The title shot might have to wait depending on how Cormier performs against a credible opponent.
Update 7/14/2012: Daniel Cormier will be returning to action on September 29. The Strikeforce Grand Prix Champion does not know who he will be fighting or where but he knows the date. More info on his opponent and venue will follow.
Update 7/26/2012: Daniel Cormier will have his final fight in Strikeforce against Frank Mir! I can’t believe it. The fight was thought to be on September 29 but is now being moved to either October or November. The fight might be the start of stars from both promotions crossing over occasionally which is what fight fans have been waiting for. I am really excited for this fight. It definitely beats Cormier against Tim Sylvia.
