Cormier vs. Cavalcante targeted for UFC 175
Daniel Cormier will likely fight former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Rafael Cavalcante at UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida on July 5th.
Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter reports that top light heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier will likely fight former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Rafael Cavalcante at UFC 175. The July 5th card will be headlined by the delayed Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida title fight.
Cormier, No. 5 in the division, made his light heavyweight debut by quickly dispatching newcomer Patrick Cummins at UFC 171. Many expected him to face a top-ranked contender in his next fight, perhaps even the winner of the UFC 172 bout between Phil Davis and Anthony Johnson. But that’s not the case, as Cormier will likely face the 14th-ranked Cavalcante. Cormier is continuing his pursuit of a title shot, but he’s behind Alexander Gustafsson, who faces the winner of UFC 172’s main event between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira.
Cavalcante’s last entrance into the Octagon came in November, when he beat the durable Igor Pokrajac in the first round. He is currently 1-1 in the UFC, with his loss coming at the hands of Thiago Silva. Cavalcante’s biggest career win would likely be his 2010 capture of the Strikeforce light heavyweight title with a win over Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.
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