Daniel Cormier gets another chance to prove his right to call himself UFC light heavyweight champion. Even though some won't give him that title until he defeats Jon Jones, he could make quite the statement Saturday night at UFC 192 against Alexander Gustafsson.
The 36-year-old Cormier hasn't looked slowed by his age in recent fights, stepping up to take a stranglehold over the weight class in the wake of Jones' absence. But Gustafsson is one fighter in the class who knows what it takes in this immense of a fight, taking Jones himself to the brink in 2013 in what's remembered as one of the best fights in UFC history.
Gustafsson and Cormier may not match up to produce that type of a contest, but it should still be a memorable one on the end of a high-flying fight card. Even with Johny Hendricks' title fight against Tyrone Woodley scratched due to Hendricks' weight problems, Saturday night is still flush with high-flying matchups.
Let's take a look at them below before predicting the main event.
UFC 192 Full Card
UFC 192 Viewing Info
Main Card Time (ET): 10 p.m.
PPV: HBO
Live Stream: Ordering available at UFC.tv
Cormier vs. Gustafsson
Cormier has been in this position before, against a fighter of a similar breed. But even so, the current champion is going to have his hands—and chin—full with the immense striking ability of his opponent.
Gustafsson is one of the most feared strikers in the light heavyweight class, arguably boasting a more defined game and more dangerous hands than Jones himself. He's proven that, taking Jones to the brink of defeat and battling some of the best in the division.
As for Cormier, he's dealt with similar tasks before—even recently. His latest outing was a third-round TKO of Anthony Johnson in May, the man who toppled Gustafsson five months prior in a first-round win.
Even though Gustafsson didn't reign supreme in that fight, that's not to suggest he doesn't have a chance against Cormier.
In fact, the Swedish phenom has the power to not only take advantage of his reach, but to also punish Cormier in the process as Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report observed:
Cormier showed the ability to close the distance against Johnson, but he did get punished pretty severely in the process. Up until a third round that saw Johnson completely gassed and worn out, he was in position to make it a five-round slugfest.
Gustafsson has the stamina and the endurance that Johnson doesn't, to be able to deal with Cormier's style in a way that Johnson could not. For that reason, it's impossible to overlook Gustafsson like so many have in recent fights.
With that being said, it's also impossible to ignore the amount of beating Gustafsson has taken over the last couple of years—and how that will impact Saturday's fight.
In two of Gustafsson's last five fights, he's taken a severe amount of damage. It started with a pair of wins over Mauricio Rua and Thiago Silva that went the distance, before his bloody loss to Jones that kept him out for six months.
"The Mauler" has had over nine months to recover from his loss to Johnson, and he'll be better for it. But that doesn't mean he'll be able to hang with Cormier for five rounds.
Well, hanging with him won't be the issue, but doing enough over the 25 minutes to sway the judges will be too much to ask. Cormier is simply too sound in his style and can't be picked apart by anyone in the weight class not named Jones.
Prediction: Cormier wins via unanimous decision
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