Daniel Cormier faces MMA Legend Jeff Monson

Matthew Wheeler (Staff Writer) | May 17, 2011 | 1 Reply

As the Strikeforce Heavyweight tournament saga continues to close in on our TV sets, alternate Daniel Cormier (7-0) will meet Jeff Monson (42-11) on June 18th. When Overeem, Werdum, Barnett, and Rogers meet to complete the first round of the bracket, up and comer Cormier can only hope for the best.

The fights will take place live on Showtime in the America Airlines Center in Dallas Texas. The completely stacked from top to bottom card is Strikeforce’s best matchmaking to date even showcasing stars like Gina Carano, Chad Griggs and Valentijn Overeem.

Cormier will face his toughest opponent to date and if he is forced or chooses to use his elite wrestling he could very possibly be in deep water when facing Monson. Monson is an elite world-class grappler with some of the best submission fighting techniques at heavyweight and is dangerous even while being taken down with his guillotine. Cormier does have heavy hands but recently has been winning by grinding away his opponents quickly with a barrage of attacks and clinch work, than submitting via choke or punches.

Cormier will have to fight smart in the early rounds when facing the ATT standout, knowing if he decides to use his wrestling his submission defense better be top-notch. Monson will need to hold up his cardio and defense from the cage where he will be getting battered by strikes from Cormier. Monson may have a better chance if he starts the fight with a flurry trying to get Cormier to revert to straight wrestling to stay out of trouble.

The longer this fight pans, especially if the majority is striking the more likely Cormier is to win via dominance, so look to see him as the clear-cut betting favorite. Monson has a quick fight to tackle on May 28th so he will have to pull out of it or try his best to stay injury free so he can face one of the best Heavyweight prospects in MMA right now.

Tags: Daniel Cormier, Jeff Monson, MMA, News, Strikeforce

Category: MMA, News, Strikeforce

About the Author (Author Profile)

A college student residing in Arizona, coming off of active duty and continuing to work for the government. I hold a black belt in Hapkido, and have high school wrestling experience paired with multiple grappling tournaments. I spent six months training Authentic Muay Thai and now I am currently enrolling in Gracie B.J.J/MMA this week. I plan on starting my amateur fighting Career sometime late this year to early next year and also plan on entering B.J.J. tournaments through the year.