Breakout Fighter of the Year 2011: Daniel Cormier

A 6-0 Collegiate wrestling standout training with some of the best of the best over at AKA, Daniel Cormier started his 2011 campaign as thee Heavyweight to watch out for. He ended it on everyone’s radar.

After taking a UD victory to start off the season in Nashville against crafty Team Quest veteran Devin Cole, he followed it up by doing what he was supposed to do. Reeling off another victory in a Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout against Jeff Monson made him the first choice to fill in for Alistair Overeem when he got his promotion.

The Cormier vs. “Bigfoot” Silva GP Semi-Final match up was an intriguing one on paper. Could Cormier use his elite wrestling to decision the giant? Or would Bigfoot display some of his jiu-jitsu or ground and pound he utilized en route to his victory over Fedor in the 1st Round of the tourney? Neither would be necessary. Instead Cormier broke his hand knocking out Bigfoot showing that he may just be one of the most well rounded fighters in the division.

Early in 2012 Cormier will fight Josh Barnett in the Finals of a Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix that has lasted over a year. If Cormier should win under the new agreement between Strikeforce and Showtime he’ll have to fight once again on Showtime. If he losses it’s likely a ticket to the UFC since Heavyweights will no longer be included on the Strikeforce roster. Either way, dude will be a major player in the Octagon for years to come.