FB TW IG YT VK TH
Search
MORE FROM OUR CHANNELS

Wrestlezone
FB TW IG YT VK TH

Cormier Confident He’ll Fight at Nov. 3 Strikeforce, But Opponent Hunt Bordering on ‘Crazy’




Frank Mir withdrew from his Nov. 3 Strikeforce bout against Daniel Cormier on Sept. 19 due to a knee injury, and with the fight approaching, a replacement still hasn’t been named.

“I haven’t heard anything,” Cormier told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “It’s actually bordering on pretty crazy now. I just can’t understand how it’s taken such a long time, but I’m not a guy that’s going to harp on it. I’ve continued to just work diligently and train hard, preparing myself for whoever it is. I believe, for the most part, that if I do the things that I’m supposed to do in the fight and in my training, it really doesn’t matter what the guy’s going to bring to the table.”

Advertisement
It would be nice to know who the guy is, though. Matt Mitrione was offered the fight but turned it down, explaining that his wrestling skills were not ready for an Olympic-level wrestler like Cormier.

“I would have fought him no problem, but obviously he said honestly that his weakness is wrestling,” Cormier said. “He was afraid -- not afraid, I’m sorry, but for a lack of a better word that I would just keep taking him down and then what was he going to do? He has his reasons. He has his reasons for doing that.”

Cormier understood the decision, but at the same time, he’s running out of options. Recently he took to Twitter to pitch Pat Barry as an opponent.

“I said Pat because Pat has a pretty decent following,” Cormier said. “He’s an exciting fighter. People would watch him fight, and I think it’s a good fight. I’ve stood with guys. I’ve wrestled guys. I’ve done it all in these fights. Pat always brings it. I think it would be a good fight.”

Barry is willing, but thus far nothing has materialized. Some fans haven’t seemed particularly interested in the matchup, much to Cormier’s dismay.

Fabricio Werdum stepped up immediately and said he would take the fight, but when they didn’t offer it to him, it seemed as though that was not a viable option,” he said. “They obviously have plans for him over there in the UFC. It wasn’t an option. It was kind of weird that when I finally said offer it to Pat, he’ll take the fight, fans kind of jumped on me like I was trying to just get someone easy. ... It’s kind of a lose-lose situation. I got a lot of the same questions. Would you fight Werdum? Yeah, I would fight Werdum. Would you fight Roy Nelson? Yeah, I would fight Roy Nelson. I’m a fighter, so I’ll fight anyone. But it’s like, who’s available? And who’s a real option right now to actually come to Strikeforce and fight me?”

Still, Cormier is confident that he’ll be standing across the cage from someone at the Nov. 3 event, which takes place in Oklahoma City, not far from where he wrestled at Oklahoma State University.

“It’s a big deal to me,” Cormier said. “I think that’s the main reason that [the show is] in Oklahoma. It would mean a lot to me and a lot to my people in Oklahoma for me to actually be on that card. I think [Strikeforce is] aware of that and I think they know that getting an opponent is urgent now.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 1:05:17).
Related Articles

Subscribe to our Newsletter

* indicates required
Latest News

POLL

Will Conor McGregor fight in 2024?

FIGHT FINDER


FIGHTER OF THE WEEK

Ben Tynan

TOP TRENDING FIGHTERS


+ FIND MORE