In little over three weeks, Daniel Cormier is expected to fulfill his last fight under the Strikeforce banner before he bolts for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The only problem is, he still doesn't have an opponent.
After Frank Mir came down with an injury, forcing him out of his proposed bout with "DC," ZUFFA officials were left to scramble in order to find a suitable last minute replacement. Three weeks later, and the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion's dance card is still empty.
It's not for a lack of trying, either.
The UFC offered Matt Mitrione the chance to step up to the plate and head over to the Hexagon to challenge the former Olympic wrestler, but, he passed on the opportunity to do his employers a solid in favor of landing a fight against Quinton Jackson.
A fight he probably won't get.
There are still a few heavyweight contender's out there who do not have a fight lined up at the moment who could possibly fill the void including: Pat Barry, Mark Hunt, Cheick Kongo and you can even throw Andrei Arlovski's name out there for grins and giggles.
If you ask Cormier's head trainer down at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), Javier Mendez, there is one man in particular he would like to see his pupil square up against---Fabricio Werdum.
At least that's what he told Mauro Ranallo recently on "The MMA Show."
Quote:
"Ideally, I'd like someone like Fabricio or Frank Mir, those would be the ideal situations for him to come into the UFC. That's who I would like for him to face. I mean, for me, there's not really many other guys available I would want him to fight, other than Shane Carwin. I definitely want Daniel to fight someone who is going to challenge him, who is going to motivate him to get up and train. Werdum is definitely that guy who is up there, so for me that's the guy I would want. Werdum will test him in the standup and definitely jiu-jitsu, no doubt. Jiu-jitsu is Werdum's world, but Daniel has the wrestling world on him, so they both can compete with each other on that level. The standup would be the area that is the deciding factor. I kind of give that edge to Daniel."
Since losing to Alistair Overeem back on June of 2011 at Strikeforce: "Overeem vs. Werdum," (which was the last time both competed for the San Jose-based promotion) Werdum has gone one to win back-to-back fights inside the Octagon with wins over Roy Nelson and Mike Russow.
With no opponent lined up currently for "Vai Cavalo," and with the clock winding down to Nov. 3, 2012 for the scheduled Strikeforce event, Cormier vs. Werdum seems like a logical matchup.
Then again, if yesterday's (Oct. 8, 2012) report of Strikeforce's impending doom hold any weight, then that could very well be the reason as to why Cormier is without an opponent at the moment and explain why ZUFFA match-makers don't seem to be in much of a hurry when it comes to finding an opponent for "DC."
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There are many paths to freedom....not all are peaceful.
Its the fight we all want to see. It makes the most sense at this point...
Werdum is a big test for DC and for Werdum as well.
Werdum is behind Cain and AO at the moment anyways... He also wants that fight.
However seeing Zuffa and Viacom work together for the greater good is almost laughable. I wouldnt be surprised at all if they scrapped the card and continue to play hardball with each other.
Recently both Daniel Cormier and Stefan Struve have mentioned that they would like to tangle with Werdum in the near future. Werdum doesn’t have any preference for who he meets next, saying it is a decision of the UFC and of his coaches Rafael Cordeiro and Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral.
He would also like a coaching spot on the next Brazilian season of The Ultimate Fighter, having enjoyed watching the recent inaugural series which featured Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort in opposing roles.
AKA head trainer wants Daniel Cormier vs. Fabricio Werdum in Strikeforce 
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