Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum main card spotlight: Daniel Cormier vs. Jeff Monson

Next up it’s another interesting heavyweight addition to the card as undefeated rising star Daniel Cormier looks to continue his unstoppable form by sweeping aside highly-experienced grappling monster Jeff Monson. Cormier has fought pretty much entirely in Strikeforce since turning professional, give or take a couple of bouts in other promotions and has already beaten the experienced Devin Cole and talented NCAA wrestler Tony Johnson Jr. The American Kickboxing Academy member is an elite-level wrestler and currently holds the King of the Cage heavyweight title and the same accolade in Australia’s XMMA promotion.
American Top Team veteran Monson gets a surprising recall to the big leagues as the former UFC heavyweight contender has been in the process of cutting permanently to 205lbs, and doing rather well at that weight-class. ‘The Snowman’ has already fought three times this year, submitting unheralded Lee Mein before taking a five-round decision over fellow old-head Tony Lopez. Monson most recently travelled overseas to face surging Croatian 205lb prospect Maro Perak and promptly handed a unanimous decision loss to ‘Mean Machine’. Despite being just 5ft 9in tall, Monson is a brutally strong heavyweight with the bone-cracking BJJ skills to put an end to Cormier’s hype train in Dallas.
The Verdict: For once, Cormier (who is just 5ft 11in) will be the taller heavyweight when he steps inside the cage but despite the reach advantage he’ll possess his problems with ‘The Snowman’ will not lie in the striking department. We know how well Cormier wrestles but what we don’t know is how the AKA heavyweight deals with an equally strong grappler with a never-ending arsenal of submissions up his sleeve. An ADCC favourite, Monson can tie even the most seasoned of grapplers in knots with his powerhouse submission wrestling but the issue has always been getting close enough to hit a takedown due to Monson’s reach disadvantage. This fight will be no different as ‘The Snowman’ will be handily beaten to the punch by Cormier who plays it safe to secure his biggest scalp to date. Cormier, decision.
By Steve Davies