Last month, fight fans were elated to hear that former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir would be loaned to Strikeforce for one fight in order to fight their Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier.
With a victory, “DC” is expecting a chance to vie for the UFC heavyweight title, according to a recent interview with MMA Fight Corner.
“Don’t forget about me over here. If I win this fight, give me a shot,” Cormier said, aiming his comment at UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and UFC president Dana White.
Cormier showed nothing but praise for Mir during the interview, noting that Mir is the perfect challenge for him at this point in his career.
“I respect Frank a ton, man. I think Frank Mir is one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. I think his record shows that he’s probably one of the most dangerous submission threats that the heavyweight division has ever seen.” Cormier said.
“I respect Frank. I know that it’s an uphill battle for me going into this fight and it’s going to be tough. But you know what? This is why I fight. I fight high level competition and Frank is exactly what I need at this point in my career.”
Cormier also noted that he’d like the bout to be for the Strikeforce heavyweight championship so that he could “actually put that belt on my mantle.”
The former Olympic-level wrestler is a perfect 10-0 in his MMA career, looking particularly impressive in his past two victories over Antonio Silva and Josh Barnett.
Meanwhile, Mir is coming off of a losing effort against current UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos at UFC 146, getting TKO’ed in the second round.
Both fighters have come out and expressed excitement for this fight, although no official date is set (tentatively scheduled for late October or early November) and no word on if the bout will be three rounds or five.
Shortly after the bout was announced, Fertitta quickly put a stop to rumors that Strikeforce-UFC crossover fights would now become the norm, stating that Mir going to Strikeforce to fight Cormier would be a one-time deal.