Daniel Cormier Opens as Small Favourite in Heavyweight Mega-Fight
Published on July 8th, 2018 2:13 pm ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel
Do you want to see Daniel Cormier vs Brock Lesnar? Regardless of whether or not you think that the fight is a farce, this proposed mega-fight will almost certainly be happening, likely in the beginning of 2019.
On Saturday night, Daniel Cormier defeated Stipe Miocic via first round KO to become the first man to ever hold the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight titles at the same time. Cormier floored Miocic and then finished him off quickly on the ground.
After the fight, Cormier called Brock Lesnar (who was watching from the crowd) into the Octagon, where the two proceeded to engage in a WWE-style shoving match.
There are no real clear contenders at Heavyweight right now, which is why the UFC will be putting on the Lesnar/Cormier fight next, despite the fact that Lesnar absolutely does not deserve a shot at the title. After all, he is coming off of a positive test that cost him his win over Mark Hunt at UFC 200. If you go back further than that, Lesnar's last win came against Shane Carwin at UFC 116 in July of 2010. This is certainly not somebody that deserves a shot at the title, though a Lesnar/Cormier PPV will likely do close to 1,000,000 buys, and the UFC's new ownership group is all about maximizing their profit.
Lesnar has only fought sparingly over the past 7-8 years, losing fights to Velasquez and Overeem, as well as fighting Mark Hunt in a battle that was eventually declared a no-contest.
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Let's take a look at where William Hill released the line for Cormier/Lesnar at shortly after last night's fight:
Brock Lesnar, +125
Daniel Cormier, -175
There are a number of things to consider when it comes to this fight:
1. Brock Lesnar's inactivity at the age of 40. Can he really be expected to come back and defeat the Heavyweight champion after so much time off?
2. Cormier's wrestling. Lesnar's biggest advantage has always been his wrestling. Can Lesnar take down Cormier, who is also a decorated wrestler? If he takes him down - can he keep the Heavyweight champion down, especially without tiring out?
3. Cormier's cardio. Cormier has had no problem going five championship rounds in the past. Can Lesnar do the same without gassing? After all, Lesnar gassed in half a round against another wrestler, Cain Velasquez.
4. Cormier's chin. Cormier is notoriously tough to knock out and Lesnar certainly isn't the most accomplished striker in the world. If Cormier can withstand Miocic's barrage, I have a hard time seeing Lesnar knocking him out.
5. Lesnar's chin. Can Lesnar withstand Cormier's power shots?
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This is certainly going to be an interesting fight with plenty of hype, though on paper, Cormier would seem to have a much bigger advantage than being a -175 favourite.
