UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier got the last laugh over a former teammate in his light heavyweight debut.
Before Daniel Cormier began his all-time hostile feud with Jon Jones, the future Hall of Famer clashed with a former teammate who stepped up on short-notice at UFC 170. Patrick Cummins, who briefly trained with Cormier during their collegiate wrestling careers, filled in for the injured Rashad Evans.
Despite the Cormier vs. Cummins fight coming together on a few weeks’ notice, the pre-fight buildup didn’t disappoint. Cummins and Cormier repeatedly traded barbs ahead of UFC 170 after Cummins claimed he made Cormier cry while training together on the wrestling mats.
The hostility between Cormier and Cummins reached a boiling point at the UFC 170 pre-fight press conference. In their first staredown ahead of fight night, a visibly angry Cormier shoved Cummins before being separated by UFC CEO Dana White.
Daniel Cormier flattened Patrick Cummins in just 79 seconds at UFC 170
Cormier fought like a man with a point to prove against Cummins, overwhelming Cummins with a blitz on the feet just seconds into the fight. Cummins attempted multiple takedowns that were easily stuffed by Cormier; in a full-circle moment from their time training together earlier in their careers.
Cormier quickly put Cummins on the back foot against the cage, dropping Cummins with a right hand before smothering him with brutal ground-and-pound. After heavy shots to Cummins’s head, Cormier earned the first-round knockout victory in just 79 seconds, a wild finish to his first light heavyweight MMA fight.
In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Cormier expressed frustration in letting Cummins land two shots in their fight. Despite his post-fight frustrations, Cormier squashed his beef with Cummins and endorsed his former teammate’s ‘bright future’ inside the Octagon.
Unfortunately for Cummins, the Cormier fight was the biggest memory of his five-year UFC tenure, despite earning wins over the likes of Jan Blachowicz and Gian Villante. He retired from MMA after a first-round knockout loss to Ed Herman in May 2019.
As for Cormier, he’d go on to defeat Dan Henderson in his next fight to secure No. 1 contender status in the light heavyweight division. Less than a year after the Cummins fight, Cormier would get his first chance at dethroning the light heavyweight champion Jones at UFC 182.
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Daniel Cormier believes Jon Jones’s ‘ego’ will eventually secure Tom Aspinall showdown
Years after their historic rivalry in the UFC Octagon, tensions between Cormier and Jones have cooled off. Now the UFC’s heavyweight champion, Jones is expected to face Tom Aspinall later this year, despite several delays in fight negotiations.
Despite the growing frustrations of fans and pundits, Cormier believes Jones’s ‘ego’ will eventually succumb to making the Aspinall fight come to fruition by year’s end. Aspinall, the UFC’s longest-reigning interim titleholder, hasn’t fought since defending the belt against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 last July.
White and the UFC matchmakers remain adamant that the Jones vs. Aspinall showdown will happen in 2025, barring any injuries or unforeseen circumstances. Time will tell if the heavyweight title unification bout will get a booking.