Daniel Cormier Not Looking Past Dion Staring

Strikeforce heavyweight Daniel Cormier knows he has a UFC contract waiting for him regardless of how he fares tomorrow night at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine. He’s also got a ton of hype behind him and an opponent most fans have never heard of in front.

However, Cormier isn’t the kind of competitor to overlook any adversary, let alone one boasting a 28-7 record with 22 stoppages. In fact, as he relayed in a recent interview with the UFC’s website, the 10-0 Cormier sees Dion Staring as a stiff challenge, though one he still expects to overcome when the cage door closes.

“Even though it may seem as though people are looking at what’s next for me, I’ve kept my eye completely on the prize, and that’s Dion Staring. It’s actually been difficult because it’s easy to get caught up in everything that everybody is saying around you, but I’ve managed to keep myself pretty locked in on Dion.

“You have to be as professional as you can when preparing for someone because at the end of the day we’re heavyweights, and a solid punch from any 240-plus pound man can end your night pretty quickly. So I’ve had to train with my mind specifically on Dion and kinda block everything else out. All the other stuff’s gonna happen, but it doesn’t happen if I don’t take care of business.”

“Dion has the ability to make these fights ugly and grinding, where he crowds you, pins you against the cage, kicking you, punching you, kneeing you, and he’s a very, very tough guy. He’s not an easy guy to get out of a fight. He’s very strong and he’s been in the cage a lot. The guy has almost 40 fights, he comes from a great camp down there in Florida and previously in Amsterdam, he’s got good kickboxing and I think his durability is probably his best asset.”

SOURCE: UFC.com
PHOTO CREDIT: Strikeforce