When Daniel Cormier defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 226, everyone expected a grand celebration. But instead, Daniel 'DC' Cormier, called out Brock Lesnar who was present in the crowd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Valley, Lesnar jumped to his feet and came jogging into the Octagon.
He shoved Cormier in the chest, and the two almost went at it right there. Cormier and Lesnar faced each other down in the Octagon after Cormier's surprisingly easy win over Miocic before Dana White sent Lesnar away from the Octagon.
Ever since the confrontation, the hype for a future fight between the two has skyrocketed, with some people hugely excited at the prospect, while others have expressed their displeasure at what they described as a 'farce'.
Although Lesnar is currently signed to a contract with WWE, the professional wrestling company, the deal is rumored to run out after August and their SummerSlam pay-per-view. On top of that USADA have announced that Lesnar has entered the testing pool, and on the chance that the testing goes well, Lesnar will be allowed to compete in UFC after the 8th of January in 2019.
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The date of the match and confirmation of the fight is yet to be made official, but rumors are already circulating that it may be before the Superbowl night in February, in Las Vegas.
With so much excitement about the match, people are choosing sides, with Cormier coming in favored heavily. However, Brock Lesnar might pull the rabbit out of the hat and shock everyone by defeating DC. Here are four reasons why Lesnar will definitely defeat Daniel Cormier.
#4 Fitness Level
People have already assumed that Daniel Cormier is the natural choice to win this matchup against Brock Lesnar. Cormier defeated Stipe Miocic in what was a shocking victory, where Miocic had looked good before to the fight.
When it comes to fitness, however, there is a huge point that goes to Brock Lesnar's favor. If anything, Lesnar is one of the fittest and strongest men in the world today. His dedication to his training has been evident from the very beginning of his career, and his extreme level of fitness.
While there is something about the arrogance of Brock Lesnar that is liable to make anyone dislike him, the fact that he puts so much effort into his training makes him a likely favorite for the fight. On top of that, Cormier is not known for his prowess in the longest bouts. While he has won several full-length bouts, but he looks best in the shorter fights where he does not need to conserve his energy.
His recent fitness was also questionable, with fans shocked at his state. If the match goes on for a long time, the bout will likely greatly favor Brock Lesnar.
#3 Lesnar's comparative freshness
One of the key things in UFC, which no one likes to highlight is the effect that the sport has on your body. Athletes get legitimately beaten up and put everything to chance when they participate in the fight. Little by little, the bouts chip away at even the greatest of fighters leaving them less than what they were.
Daniel Cormier has participated in a total of 23 fights, where he has lost only one. His bout with Jon Jones was overturned due to latter's testing positive for Turinabol. One defeat out of 23 is not a bad result for anyone, but this also means that at 39 Cormier has already taken a lot of risks with his body.
Lesnar has been involved in quite a few fights himself, but considerably fewer than Cormier. His recent run in WWE has been anything but dangerous for him, with him performing a safe and set routine, with moves that could hardly hurt him.
You can see highlights Brock Lesnar's fight with Shane Carwin here:
Being out of UFC for such a long time, and his limited WWE schedule has ensured that Lesnar has had ample opportunities to train and stay sharp, while also not putting his body through the same trials that Cormier had to.
This may end up counting in his favour on the night of the fight. A little freshness can count for a lot inside a UFC octagon.
#2 Size and reach
Size and reach are two of the key things to keep note of for any MMA fight. While Cormier has shown that he is capable of overcoming the difference created by the size and reach when he beat Stipe Miocic, he may not be that lucky a second time around.
Brock Lesnar is 6 feet 3 inches and has an arm-reach of 81 inches.
Miocic may have been taller than Lesnar with by one inch, but his reach fell short. Lesnar will have to look to avoid making the same mistake as Miocic made when he clinched with Cormier.
At 5 feet 11 inches, and with a reach of 72 inches, Cormier is severely limited by his physical features. If Lesnar were to study Cormier carefully, and prepare for his style when facing fighters who have a greater physical advantage than him, then he could prepare a strategy to even take him out.
#1 The X-Factor: Ground and pound
When it comes to grappling, both fighters have been All-Americans in their careers, and are equally matched. At the same time, on his feet, Cormier might be the more vicious of the two strikers. If he can get Lesnar into a clinch, then the fight might end then and there.
Neither of the two men, are experts in their submission game, only using them on opponents who have already been tired out during the course of their fights. The submissions are not their go-to response for a situation to end a fight.
While the clinch may be the strong suit of Cormier, Lesnar has two things on his side. His power is indisputable, and if he can use his reach to strike Cormier with a powerful enough blow, that may be it. But, given that in his past he has never really done that, the second advantage might be the move that he uses.
Lesnar's ground and pound ability is among the best of anyone in UFC. He can remove any blocks by his opponent using his strength and then continue to pound on them with vicious blows until they can no longer continue.
You can see clips of Brock Lesnar's matches here:
If Lesnar can find a way to get Cormier on the ground, the fight may be over sooner than anyone expected.