Daniel Cormier has the opportunity to make history this weekend at UFC 226 and become the first fighter to simultaneously hold the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles when he challenges current heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
Should Cormier pull off the feat, it can be argued that he's one of the greatest fighters of all time. It has been an extraordinary career for Cormier to this point, considering that he has already been a heavyweight champion in Strikeforce after winning the Heavyweight Grand Prix as an alternate. The only reason he didn't make an attempt at the heavyweight crown in the UFC was because of the existence of his training partner, Cain Velasquez. Cormier successfully moved down a weight class and captured gold and now has the opportunity to finish what he started against Miocic.
MORE: Jon Jones casts shadow over Daniel Cormier
If Cormier becomes a two-division champion and arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world when the next UFC rankings are released, it would also effectively make him the Joe Frazier of mixed martial arts.
There are very distinct parallels between the careers of Smokin' Joe and DC. And both have ended up in the shadow of a once-in-a-lifetime presence. For Frazier, his championship reign began after Muhammad Ali left a massive void when he refused to be drafted into the U.S. armed forces and was subsequently stripped of his WBA, WBC, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles. During Ali’s absence from 1967-70, Frazier tore through the division. He stopped 10 of 12 opponents and claimed the titles that Ali was separated from when he clobbered Jimmy Ellis in the fourth round of their 1970 title bout.
But few recognized Frazier as the "real" champion considering that Ali had never lost the titles inside a boxing ring. In any other universe that didn't include Ali, Frazier would have unequivocally been recognized as one of the greatest heavyweights to walk the planet. Ali's shadow was simply too big for Frazier to escape, however. Even after beating Ali in the 1971 Fight of the Century, few were willing to accept that the better man won. After all, Ali spent much of his prime years exiled from the sport.
For the rest of his career, Frazier fought to get out of the shadow of the boxer formerly known as Cassius Clay. He lost the next two meetings and his legacy will forever be tied to the man recognized as "The Greatest." Ali's legacy wasn't necessarily tied to Frazier, though; Ali had many remarkable moments throughout his career, including knocking out Sonny Liston in 1965 and the legendary Rumble in the Jungle in 1974 when he shocked the world by stopping the then-indestructible George Foreman in the eighth round. Not to mention, his accomplishments outside the ring are arguably greater than what he did inside the squared circle.
No matter what Cormier does Saturday night, he's going to be trapped in the shadow of Jon Jones. Like Frazier, Cormier put in his finest work while Jones was away en route to being recognized as the perfect foil for Jones. Also like Frazier, the rivalry with Jones has nearly overshadowed everything in Cormier’s career. It’s something he couldn’t get away from if he tried. But unlike Frazier, Cormier has never conquered his arch nemesis. He lost the first meeting at UFC 182 and was knocked out in the return bout at UFC 214 — which was later overturned to a no contest after Jones failed a drug test. Nevertheless, the image of Jones landing a head kick and following Cormier to finish him off with ground and pound, and the defeated former champion openly sobbing during his postfight interview, will forever be burned into the memories of fight fans.
Like Ali, Jones has been widely recognized as the greatest fighter to step into the Octagon. Also like Ali, his antics outside the Octagon have nearly overshadowed everything he has done in it. Obviously, the two fighters had their careers derailed by wildly different circumstances. Where Ali was exiled for standing up for what he believed in, Jones simply couldn’t get out of his own way with numerous transgressions, failed drug tests and a troubled life outside of fighting. But the end result is that Jones has had Cormier’s number and happens to be the only fighter to hold a victory over the current light heavyweight champion. There are fans who still refuse to call Cormier the real light heavyweight champion because he never defeated the best fighter in his division to hold that title.
MORE: Daniel Cormier considers Stipe Miocic, not Jon Jones, biggest fight of career
It’s fascinating to think that Cormier may end up having so much in common with a legendary boxer who carried his bitterness toward Ali for nearly the rest of his life. Strangely enough, both Cormier and Frazier have similar body types. Both are 5-11 and more round than chiseled. Cormier clearly still has animosity toward Jones, and there doesn't appear to be an end to their feud in sight.
Regardless of what Cormier does for the rest of his career, people will be reluctant to put him in the No. 1 spot because he was never able to beat Jon Jones. He may become the first fighter in the history of the sport to simultaneously hold the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles while defeating the man who has been widely recognized as the greatest heavyweight in the history of the UFC. But the stain of Jon Jones won't be washed away by any other accolade. He'll have to conquer his greatest foe in order to gain the respect he rightfully deserves. Until that moment, he's relegated to being the Joe Frazier to Jon Jones' Ali.
Yes, Daniel Cormier deserves better than that given what he has accomplished, but the reality of the situation is that the mainstream sports media love the big, controversial personality. Being one of the greatest fighters to ever put on fingerless gloves has only added to the allure of Jon Jones. Unfortunately, Cormier doesn't have the notoriety of his nemesis, and the fact that he has been unable to beat him will be what everyone remembers most.
