Misha Cirkunov picks Cormier to beat ‘Rumble,’

[Edge Guerrero]

believes he’s two fights away from title contention

by Shaun Al-Shatti @shaunalshatti Mar 26, 2017

The UFC light heavyweight title will be up for grabs on April 8 when reigning champion Daniel Cormier seeks to defend his strap in a rematch against 205-pound powerhouse Anthony Johnson at UFC 210.

For the rest of the light heavyweight division, the rematch is one that has been a long time in the making. Cormier and Johnson previously met in May 2015, when Cormier survived an early onslaught before submitting Johnson with a third-round rear-naked choke. A second chapter between the two was initially slated for Dec. 2016, only to be delayed due to a nasty torn adductor tendon sustained by Cormier.

But despite those setbacks, the bout is finally looming, and one of the division’s most promising prospects, Misha Cirkunov — a man who could be challenging for that belt soon enough — believes that Cormier still has what it takes to retain gold.

“The first fight, I picked Daniel Cormier to win. But in a rematch, it’s going to be very, very interesting,” Cirkunov said recently on The MMA Hour. “Because we all saw what happened in the first fight, so I feel like there’s a lot of blueprints for Anthony Johnson to get better. If he gets better, there’s going to be a lot, a lot tougher for Daniel Cormier to win; whereas, Daniel Cormier is a beast himself, but I think that we’re not going to see a way more improved Daniel Cormier, just based on he’s been injured and he hasn’t competed.

Full read http://www.mmafighting.com/2017/3/26/14928058/misha-cirkunov-picks-cormier-to-beat-rumble-believes-hes-two-fights-away-from-title-contention