2. Cormier vs Barnett (Strikeforce heavyweight GP Final)
After a win over Antonio Silva in 2011, Cormier moved onto the final of the tournament and faced one of the very best in the business Josh Barnett.
Barnett was a veteran of the game and was one of the most feared fighters back then. Cormier, on the other hand, was nowhere near as experienced as Barnett. He was a promising fighter with great wrestling pedigree at that point of time.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
tt and provided one of the most historic moments in Strikeforce history. The image of Cormier landing a slam takedown against Barnett is iconic to this day. DC went on to win a unanimous decision and became the Strikeforce heavyweight champion.
A dominant victory like that over a legend in Barnett announced DC's arrival on the big stage.
UFC went on to take over Strikeforce. Cormier, who was the winner of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix, went in to the UFC as a feared contender and a fighter to always keep an eye on.
3.Cormier vs Frank Mir (UFC on FOX 7)
In 2013, Strikeforce was taken over by the UFC. Some of the veterans including Jorge Masvidal, Yoel Romero, Gilbert Melendez, including Cormier made their UFC debut on the UFC on FOX 7 card.
Cormier came up against former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in his first appearance inside the octagon. Mir had been one of the true legends of the sport, and been competing at the highest level for over a decade at that point.
But DC showed his brute strength and raw power in the clinch against Mir. Also, some fancy kicking display was shown by Cormier, a part of his game we don't see anymore from him. He even attempted a jumping head kick.
Mir did manage to land some body shots on DC. But the mixture of wrestling, striking and clinch game on Cormier's part proved to be enough in the 3 round showdown.
Cormier won on Judge's scorecard, getting a unanimous decision victory.
A win on his UFC debut against a former champion like Frank Mir, who is considered as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, was certainly a big achievement for Cormier.