Semifinal bout number one of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix tonight (Sept. 10) at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, featured unlikely contender Daniel Cormier stepping in for Alistair Overeem taking on veteran Fedor killer Antonio Silva.
A birth in the finals later this year or early next year was on the line and while there weren't many folks giving Cormier a shot at getting past Silva, he quickly proved everybody wrong by absolutely and utterly decimating "Bigfoot."
At no point in the short duration of the bout was the Olympic level wrestler in trouble and not only did he defeat Silva without ever earning a takedown, he knocked him down twice before knocking him out.
Unreal.
An overhand right was the big punch that sent Silva flying backwards early in the opening round. Cormier attacked and kept the pressure on but his biggest attribute in this bout was his undoubtedly his patience.
He stayed calm and collected and waited for his moment to strike. He came in the form of a vicious uppercut that he unloaded with deadly precision. "Bigfoot" didn't stand a chance when it connected clean and that was all she wrote.
Cormier may not have even been a member of the tournament at its inception but he may have just become the odds on favorite to win the whole thing.
Cormier after the bout proclaimed, "I fought one of the top five heavyweights in the world and I knocked him out. Give me some respect now!"
You got it.