Issue 133
October 2015
After coming in on short notice to defeat Anthony Johnson for the vacant UFC light heavyweight belt, Daniel Cormier is set to make the first defense of his title against one of Sweden’s hottest exports since Seventies pop quartet ABBA, Alexander Gustafsson. To the untrained eye, this is a classic striker vs. grappler matchup, but ‘DC’ compliments his Olympic-level wrestling with serious striking skills, while ‘The Mauler’ backs up his kickboxing with a determined defensive wrestling arsenal. Both fighters have world-class, well-rounded skillsets, but who has the edge? FO turns to three of the sport’s top coaches to ask who will emerge from this 205lb tilt as champion.
Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson
Grappling
William Abreu
Two-time IBJJF no-gi world champion
“I’m a wrestler and usually I root for the home team but I’m going to go with Gustafsson. Cormier has fought people Gustafsson’s height and people as long as Gustafsson when he was a heavyweight. Then when he dropped down to light heavyweight, from what I can tell with the Jon Jones fight, he had difficulties. Now not only are they tall and have the same reach they also have agility. Jon Jones did good by keeping his distance, wearing him down and then coming back in.
“Cormier looked great against Anthony Johnson, but ‘Rumble’ doesn’t cut the angles. He has a boxer’s striking ability but he doesn’t have footwork to go around, nor does he have the extra length that Jones and Gustafsson have.
“If Cormier closes the distance, tries to take it into the grappling and pins him up against the cage, I can see the tables being turned. If he lets the fight stay in the center of the Octagon or lets the pace be controlled by Gustafsson, he’s going to meet his end.
“A lot of people are going to root for Cormier because he beat Rumble, but that doesn’t mean anything. The styles just didn’t match up and Cormier’s style was pretty different for Rumble. Rumble was able to give Gustafsson such a great fight because he knows the striking, he knows the head movement. He just ended up having more of a direct hit; a precision punch with more power behind it than Gustafsson.
“Cormier doesn’t bring the same game as Rumble. Gustafsson moves around the ring and uses the angles far more than Rumble – like in the Jon Jones realm. Also, I don’t think Gustafsson is going to fold under the pressure like Rumble did.”
Winner: Alexander Gustafsson
Striking
Brandon Gibson
Jackson-Wink striking coach
“It’s a very intriguing matchup. I’ve had the opportunity to be in the corner against both men with Jon Jones. We spent an excessive amount of time studying and breaking down their outstanding abilities and their weaknesses.
“I’m really intrigued about Alexander Gustafsson’s circular footwork. He perhaps has the best circular footwork in the light heavyweight division. He’s very evasive, very fluid, with fast feet and he controls his distance and range very well. Whereas ‘DC’ can accelerate faster, he can spring and close that distance rapidly probably better than any 205lb’er. I’m intrigued to see which of those two is going to capitalize on their footwork qualities.
“Who controls the range is also one of the biggest keys. All of Alexander’s best strikes are typically thrown from that longer distance. He has an outstanding long-range uppercut, his straight punches are very accurate, he’s fluid with his kicks and in the past he’s made his opponents very frustrated trying to close that distance against him.
“Alexander’s best weapon against DC is his ability to use his feints. His striking feints, particularly his boxing feints are outstanding at making his opponents hesitate to get to that close range.
“Right now the edge is in DC’s favor and that’s not just because of his tools. He’s got a bit of a mental advantage right now. He’s feeling strong as the champion and I know that’s a powerful thing for a fighter to have.”
Winner: Daniel Cormier
MMA
Din Thomas
Co-creator: MMA Scouting Report
“There are a lot of factors that can determine the landscape of a fight. A very important factor is distance management. Distance management and who dictates it can be a useful key in the outcome of a fight. Managing distance is something that Daniel Cormier does exceptionally well.
“It’s no secret that he would prefer to be up close in the clinch. Again, this is an element of distance that Daniel Cormier excels at and I believe is his biggest advantage over most guys that he will ever have to face. Cormier uses his natural frame and wrestling ability to dominate in the clinch. He is shorter than most of his opponents. This gives him a lower center of gravity, almost always giving him the advantage to push his opponents backwards.
“Also his shorter body makes it very difficult for taller opponents to pummel with him. Naturally they have to reach with their backs against the wall. This allows Cormier to have quick gripping sequences in the clinch and taller opponents have a hard time keeping up. When you incorporate his world-class wrestling ability in with his ability to outgrip his opponents in the clinch, this makes him incredibly effective in the clinch.
“I do not believe that Alexander Gustafsson will have the answer to solve this riddle. Furthermore, Gus’ will not bring anything to the table that Cormier hasn’t seen from (Frank) Mir, (Josh) Barnett or (Anthony) Johnson.”
Winner: Alexander Gustafsson
...
