Former U.S. Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier had absolutely no trouble with Jeff Monson in their heavyweight bout at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum. Monson, a former ADCC submission grabbling champion, was giving up hand speed, foot speed, and reach on the feet against Cormier and apparently had no hope of getting Cormier to the ground because he only made one half-hearted attempt late in the fight.
Strikeforce Overeem vs. Werdum Results: Daniel Cormier Eases Off On Jeff Monson
Despite out-striking Monson by 120-40 (per CompuStrike) and hurting him several times, Cormier never went in for the kill. Early in the third round he stunned Monson badly with sharp sequence of combinations but then was content to force a clinch and fire lazy knees to Monson’s thighs for much of the rest of the round.
Cormier was either tired or looking to pick up some cage time. He's only had 8 total pro MMA bouts and can use all the experience he can get as he's on his way to the top of the thin heavyweight division in short order. The American Kickboxing Academy product won't be able to coast against fighters like Alistair Overeem, Antonio Silva or Josh Barnett, any of whom could be in his future.
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