Daniel Cormier reveals he executed what he’d been trained to do perfectly
Strikeforce heavyweight grand-prix winner, Daniel Cormier has been giving his thoughts on his impressive five-round drubbing of Josh Barnett last night in San Jose, California, explaining what he’d been training to do for the past three months he went out there and executed perfectly.
Speaking to the press after the fight, Cormier said:
“It feels amazing. I look down at the names on this belt, and it’s a complete honor to actually be wearing it. It’s an unbelievable feeling. This ranks right up there with making my Olympic teams. This is the most important thing that has ever happened to me outside of my children. Thank you, Strikeforce and Showtime, for giving me the opportunity.”
“I wanted to secure takedowns to score rounds, but then I started grappling with him and realized that I could actually hold my own in that position. I got in that one leg lock position, but I just didn’t panic and kept doing the things that my coaches taught me. [Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt] Leandro Vieira worked with me extensively in that position. I just did what I was trained to do.”
Cormier will now likely have one more fight under the Strikeforce banner against a mystery opponent before making the switch to the UFC early next year where he’ll no doubt be trust into the upper echelons of the title picture inside the octagon. Stay tuned to MMABay for what’s next in the career of the AKA trained fighter as we get it.
By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)
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Photo by Esther Lin – STRIKEFORCE
