All the buildup and hype of the past week-and-a-half came to fruition when Daniel Cormier met late replacement Patrick Cummins in the co-main event of UFC 170 last night (Feb. 22, 2014) from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
To watch full fight video highlights for Daniel Cormier vs. Patrick Cummins right now click here.
Cormier was making his long-awaited light heavyweight debut in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and he had a huge fight lined up.
Unfortunately, those plans unraveled when his original opponent Rashad Evans was forced out with a knee injury.
Scrambling to find Cormier an opponent, Cummins was the only man willing to step in on super short notice. Undefeated (4-0) in mixed martial arts (MMA), Cummins was working as a barista and quickly become the most talked about story in UFC. The former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler capitalized on the opportunity by unleashing some seriously personal trash talk at Cormier, making the fight personal.
"Durkin" enjoyed the attention of a hastened media blitz, but ultimately the fight went down as most predicted it would.
Cormier came in angry to end Cummins' night in short fashion. Let's take a look back at "DC's" third UFC win in a fight that proved he could effectively make 205 pounds.
Cummins looked sharp at first, but Cormier nailed him with a strong uppercut that turned the tables. Cummins missed a takedown and Cormier landed a flurry. Cormier went to work, dropping Cummins in an instant and earning the stoppage in less than two minutes. "Durkin" stood no chance, and his hype machine came to a screeching halt.
It was painfully clear that Cummins didn't deserve to share the octagon with an athlete of Cormier's caliber.
"DC" put on a strong performance, but it really doesn't say much about his true position in the UFC light heavyweight division. Cummins was a virtual unknown who was miles away from even fighting for the promotion two weeks ago, let alone being ranked.
Cormier looked good in his cut down to 205 pounds. However, he's going to have to fight a truly top-level opponent before he has a legitimate gripe for a title shot against the winner of UFC 172's Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira title bout.
After the fight, Cormier said that Cummins has a bright future in UFC, and he'll probably get one more shot in the octagon. If he loses that fight, he'll most likely be cut, so he needs to regroup and come back strong. Luckily for him, Cummins will be receiving a substantial step down in terms of competition.
He stepped up to the plate and took the loss for the promotion, something that doesn't usually go unrewarded in UFC.
Daniel Cormier did what was expected of him and stopped Patrick Cummins inside the opening round. It was a good win, yet it proved nothing about "DC's" chances as a light heavyweight title contender. What's next for the former Olympian in his new division?