Cormier Requests Respect, Says Barnett Takedowns ‘Not Happening’
Just because it’s a cliché doesn’t mean it’s not true: Speed kills,
and Daniel
Cormier proved it
on Saturday night.
Stepping up as a short-notice replacement for recent UFC signee Alistair Overeem, Cormier (Pictured; file photo) assaulted Antonio Silva in the semifinals of Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix, knocking out the enormous Brazilian with precise punching at the U.S. Bank Area in Cincinnati.
Speed was not the only attribute that the
American Kickboxing Academy standout showed against Silva,
however. The two-time freestyle wrestling Olympian also displayed
fight smarts, patience and a an apparent realization that his
long-heralded potential has now flourished into a scary all-around
skill set.
“I just want some respect. I’ve always said that I’m trying to find validation in MMA [to prove] that I’m not wasting my time,” Cormier said in an interview with Showtime Sports following his victory, “and a win over a guy who’s a consensus top-five in a fashion like that ... I think I should finally gain some respect. [Silva] is a good fighter. He’s going to beat a lot of people.”
“It was the same overhand right [that Kyle used]. It landed right on the chin,” said Cormier. “[Silva] has got such a big head, you know? It’s kind of hard to miss, but it’s hard, and it kind of jacked my hand up.”
While the extent of his injury is currently unknown, Cormier seemed to be no worse for wear following the initial knockdown of his larger foe. The 32-year-old blasted Silva with crisp punches and Bigfoot had no answer. Cormier finally crumpled the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with a clean uppercut to the jaw before finishing the job with hammer strikes at 3:56 of the opening frame.
“I always said I wanted to make Bigfoot uncomfortable. When he gets uncomfortable, he shoots and takes people down,” said Cormier. “Well, he tried, but he couldn’t take me down, so he ended up having to stay on his feet and he was at a disadvantage.”
Up next for Cormier is former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett, who submitted fellow Pride Fighting Championships vet Sergei Kharitonov in the evening’s main event. Following his victory, the fighter now known as “Warmaster” asserted that he will take Cormier down when the two meet in the to-be-scheduled grand prix finals. Predictably, Cormier doesn’t see it going down that way.
“Not happening,” Cormier said with a smile. “It’s going to be a good fight. Josh presents a lot of different challenges. Honestly, since I was introduced to this tournament, I’ve been training for Josh Barnett. I figured he would get past Sergei, and I need to improve my skills to where I’m able to compete with him. This guy is a great heavyweight. I’m going to have to be on my game. There’s going to be a lot of standing unless I decide to take him down.”
Stepping up as a short-notice replacement for recent UFC signee Alistair Overeem, Cormier (Pictured; file photo) assaulted Antonio Silva in the semifinals of Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix, knocking out the enormous Brazilian with precise punching at the U.S. Bank Area in Cincinnati.
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“I just want some respect. I’ve always said that I’m trying to find validation in MMA [to prove] that I’m not wasting my time,” Cormier said in an interview with Showtime Sports following his victory, “and a win over a guy who’s a consensus top-five in a fashion like that ... I think I should finally gain some respect. [Silva] is a good fighter. He’s going to beat a lot of people.”
Cormier initially cracked “Bigfoot” early with an overhand right
that looked like a carbon copy of the shot that teammate Mike Kyle used
to floor Silva this past December. Just like Kyle, Cormier injured
his right hand on Silva’s massive skull.
“It was the same overhand right [that Kyle used]. It landed right on the chin,” said Cormier. “[Silva] has got such a big head, you know? It’s kind of hard to miss, but it’s hard, and it kind of jacked my hand up.”
While the extent of his injury is currently unknown, Cormier seemed to be no worse for wear following the initial knockdown of his larger foe. The 32-year-old blasted Silva with crisp punches and Bigfoot had no answer. Cormier finally crumpled the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with a clean uppercut to the jaw before finishing the job with hammer strikes at 3:56 of the opening frame.
“I always said I wanted to make Bigfoot uncomfortable. When he gets uncomfortable, he shoots and takes people down,” said Cormier. “Well, he tried, but he couldn’t take me down, so he ended up having to stay on his feet and he was at a disadvantage.”
Up next for Cormier is former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett, who submitted fellow Pride Fighting Championships vet Sergei Kharitonov in the evening’s main event. Following his victory, the fighter now known as “Warmaster” asserted that he will take Cormier down when the two meet in the to-be-scheduled grand prix finals. Predictably, Cormier doesn’t see it going down that way.
“Not happening,” Cormier said with a smile. “It’s going to be a good fight. Josh presents a lot of different challenges. Honestly, since I was introduced to this tournament, I’ve been training for Josh Barnett. I figured he would get past Sergei, and I need to improve my skills to where I’m able to compete with him. This guy is a great heavyweight. I’m going to have to be on my game. There’s going to be a lot of standing unless I decide to take him down.”
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