The UFC has finalized its schedule for the remainder of 2013 and, should the injury bug stay away, it promises to be an impressively prolific spell.
From now until the end of the year, all nine of the UFC's active champions will defend their belts. This remarkable period of MMA will begin at UFC on Fox 8 on July 27 with Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga and climax at UFC 168 on Dec. 28 when Anderson Silva rematches Chris Weidman. Two of the events in this time, UFC 165 and UFC 168, will even feature two title fights, the only other event in UFC history to do so was UFC 100 in 2009. During this time, there will also be some very fine UFC on Fox Sports 1 events. Examples being, Chael Sonnen vs. Shogun Rua, Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann and Michael Bisping vs. Mark Munoz.
Interestingly, Johnson vs. Moraga will be the only title bout to not headline a pay-per-view event, it will instead be shown on Fox. Johnson holds the reluctant honour of being the only champion in the UFC to have never headlined a pay-per-view event. It is, however, an understandable decision, the flyweight division is still relatively unknown and Johnson has little name recognition. At this point in his career he would struggle to carry a pay-per-view, appearances on Fox, with more viewers, should help boost his celebrity.
It has occurred purely by coincidence but as the year moves closer towards its end, the events ascend in both size and star power. Like a good opera, this period of events in the UFC appears to form a rising crescendo until it hits a peak and finishes with a big finale.
Seven events from now until the end of the year will feature title fights. The first three of these will be headlined by title fights in three of the lighter weight classes, flyweight, featherweight and lightweight. First, it will be Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga at UFC on Fox 8 on July 27. Then, José Aldo vs. Jung Chan-Sung at UFC 163 on Aug. 3 and Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis at UFC 164 on Aug. 31.
The concluding four events will be headlined by light-heavyweight, heavyweight, welterweight and middleweight title bouts. In chronological order, these fights will be Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson and Renan Barao vs. Eddie Wineland at UFC 165 on Sept. 21, Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos at UFC 166 on Oct. 19, Georges St-Pierre vs Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 on Nov. 16 and Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva and Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate at UFC 168 on Dec. 28.
Historically, events headlined by the lighter fighters are not as financially and commercially successful as their heavier counterparts. So this crescendo begins with events headlined by three of the lighter champions, it then ascends onto the two heaviest and climaxes with events headlined by the two biggest pay-per-view stars in the sport. The final event of the year, UFC 168, the big finale, even has the possibility of being the biggest in UFC history. The rest of 2013 should be a blockbuster period for both the UFC and its fans.
Daniel Cormier is in a peculiar position. The division in which his fighting future lies is still undecided.
The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion is currently in career limbo until he decides which title it is he wants to make a run at.
There are two clear paths for Cormier to take, both of which have their own respective roadblocks.
The first one is to stay at heavyweight. This seems like it would be the most logical option, it certainly makes the most sense from a purely fighting perspective. He has fought his entire career at heavyweight, he was/is the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion, he hold wins over two former UFC Heavyweight Champions and he owns a knockout victory over the the man about to fight for the title. Oh yeah, he is also undefeated at the weight.
The only problem with staying at heavyweight is that, his good friend, Cain Velasquez is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. The pair, who train together at AKA, have stated numerous times that they would be unwilling to fight one other. So, like any job, why stick around when there is no chance of progression.
Ok, so Cormier should move down to the light heavyweight division then? Well that too has its issues.
Cormier has spent his entire career at heavyweight, usually weighing between 235 and 250 pounds. Not since his wrestling days, at 211 pounds, has he weighed anywhere near the 205 pound light heavyweight limit. When you consider he has consistently made 211 pounds in the past, only 6 pounds above the light heavyweight limit, moving down a weight class seems very plausible. The issue is that the last time he attempted to make this weight, at the 2008 Olympic Games, his kidneys failed and he could not compete. If that's how your body reacts to making 211 pounds, maybe trying to make 205 pounds isn't such a good idea.
Cormier has admitted that he lost the weight incorrectly, nevertheless any future attempts to do something similar must be met with serious consideration. When participating in a sport like this, the last thing you need is an extra health risk.
A definitive decision has not been made regarding which of these paths he is going to take. Ideally this decision would have been made before his UFC debut, that way he could have focused his efforts on getting a title shot in that particular division. Instead, he is stalling slightly. Lacking purpose.
He recently fought and defeated Frank Mir, a fight that didn't really get him any closer to a title. It felt more like a stop-gap fight. In fact, because of this current indecision, he isn't really mentioned in the heavyweight title picture at all.
This is evident in the matchmaking too. Joe Silva and Sean Shelby can't second guess what Cormier's intentions are, so he is being matched up with the top gatekeepers of the division. It is difficult to put a fighter in a number one contender bout if he isn't willing to face the champion.
Following Roy Nelson's impressive TKO victory over Cheick Kongo, Dana White announced that he liked a potential match up with Cormier. A proposition that he promptly agreed to on Twitter;
Does this mean that he is staying at heavyweight? Possibly. Why else would you continue to take fights in a division that you plan to leave. Perhaps the strategy is to continue to take fights at heavyweight until Velasquez relinquishes his title. Or maybe they have decided that if the time should come, they will fight one another for the title. Logically, those are the only two reasons for sticking around at heavyweight. Otherwise, he is an undersized (at 5'10") fighter in a weight class with no real prospects.
We know Dana White's opinion on the matter, he would like to see Cormier move down to light heavyweight. He believes his power will be much more effective at 205 pounds. At this stage it is largely unclear what Cormier's intentions are, I'm not sure even he knows. It's possible he is waiting to let the chips fall where they may and then going from there. A risky strategy, he is behind a growing number of men in the queue for title shots. Until he comes out and dedicates himself to a division, his career is lacking impetus. He is a fighter without a home.
