Strikeforce Grand Prix Semi-Finals Recap with Fight Videos – Daniel Cormier to Win the Heavyweight Tournament?

DC vs Silva GIF
What!? Did you this coming!?

By GregRiot

I ended up 1-1 in my Strikeforce Picks for Saturday’s event. In my article “Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament Picks – Look Elsewhere for Upsets,” I didn’t see any surprise finishes, but boy was I wrong! Not only did Daniel Cormier dominate, he stole the show!

Daniel Cormier KO’s Antonio Silva 3:56 into the 1st Round

Cormier looked a bit rocky in the very beginning of the round. He looked uncomfortable defending Silva’s strikes and he positioned his hands wide in a way that leaves him more open. He also unsuccessfully kept trying to parry Silva’s boxing. Right when it looked like DC might be out of his league he landed a huge overhead right out of nowhere less than 1 minute into the first round. The sound of the impact echoed throughout the U.S. Bank Arena and the crowd immediately jumped to their feet cheering. That was officially the start of the fight.

Seeing Bigfoot injured, DC went in for some quick, not very effective ground and pound then wisely pulled out away from Silva’s expert BJJ guard. Cormier’s superior boxing and wrestling defense scored him the win about 2 minutes later.

Josh Barnett vs Sergei Kharitonov…Zzz…*Snore*…Zzz

The Josh Barnett vs Sergei Kharitonov went as predicted with “The Warmaster” submitting “The Russian Mercenary” via arm triangle choke at 4:28 of round 1. I’m glad the fight was over fast because Barnet likes to grind things out and that makes for a boring fight.

Will Daniel Cormier go all the way?

It’s definitely possible. You can no longer count this guy out. DC is lethal on his feet and very hard to take down because of his stellar wrestling background. He’s like a combination of Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans all rolled into one but with more weaknesses pertaining to defense. He’s quicker and more dangerous standing up than Josh Barnett. To get a win over Barnett all he has to do is keep the fight standing like he did against Silva. It’s easier said than done but DEFINITELY possible. Keep an eye on this guy and prepare to be surprised.

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