MMA News Forums » MMA Forums » General MMA Forum

[Sakara=Excitement]

Daniel Cormier Scores Big Knockout, but Victory Comes With Price

CINCINNATI -- Daniel Cormier may have entered the Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix as an alternate, but after a dominant performance in a knockout victory over Antonio Silva, no one can question whether he deserves a place in the finals.

However, after Cormier showed up at the post-fight press conference early Sunday morning with the right hand he used to dispatch "Bigfoot" Silva wrapped up in a tight wad of bandages, some may question when he'll be fit enough to fight again, and whether it will be soon enough for the powers that be.

It didn't take long before Cormier connected again, putting Silva down with a short right uppercut near the end of the round and then finishing him off with dueling hammer fists. With the win, the former U.S. Olympic wrestling team captain secured a spot opposite Josh Barnett in the Grand Prix finals, though whether he'll truly get that chance could be contingent upon his injury and availability, said Strikeforce's Scott Coker.

That would make for a bittersweet ending to Cormier's improbable run in the tournament. After being named as an alternate in the tournament, he defeated Jeff Monson via decision in June, then got the call to join the Grand Prix after heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem was pulled from the tournament and dropped from Strikeforce.

He came into the fight with Silva as a slight underdog, but the undefeated Cormier demolished the much bigger Brazilian thanks to his powerful right hand. If the right hand is broken -- and, judging from Cormier's post-fight remarks, it may very well be -- it could be months before he's able to fight again.

[DanC]

I guess that's what happens when you punch a dude with a head like a breeze-block.

[kingrobert]

It would really suck if he wasnt ready for the final fight. I was amazed at how good he looked Silva. I really think this guy could do so damage at 205 but he is still kicking ass at HW. The way he throws his punches reminds me of Fedor.

[xrjxarsonx]

poor strikeforce, every step forward with this grand prix sets them two steps back.

[dexter]

Originally Posted by Coker

"If Daniel wasn't available for an extended period of time we would consider another fight [for the Grand Prix final]," Coker said, explaining that the goal was to complete the tournament some time in the first quarter of 2012.

This would be weak!

I'm also not surprised Cormier broke his hand as Silva has acromelagy which can result in thickening of the skull. Nikolai Valuev (ex-boxing champ) also has this and parts of his skull are twice as thick as the average man.

[stpierrecanada]

Punching a cinder block head will do that to your hand.. Cormier hits hard!

[joeodd2]

If he's out of the torney the next stop is the UFC, but I really hope he recovers. Seeing the ground war against Barnett would be awesome. I think Barnett would win though. Barnett fights incredibly smart and once things hit the ground he's an animal. It's a shame he may never fight in the UFC. But after what this kid Cromeir had shown me on Saturday, I wouldn't count him out completely. this guy has hands and wrestling, that's dangerous.