The former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir and Strikeforce Grand Prix Champion Daniel Cormier battled in the co-main event.
Mir began the round by throwing four to five head-kicks that missed within the first minute of the fight. For the better part of the round, Cormier had Mir pushed up against the fence and he landed nasty punches and knees which slowed Mir down. In unusual fashion, Mir looked to land a spinning back-kick late in the round, but it did not connect.
Cormier started the second off in dynamic fashion and looked to land a flying head-kick, unfortunately he didn’t. The grinding up against the fence continued, however once the crowd began to boo, Cormier pulled back and took the middle of the octagon. Cormier decided where the fight took place for the entire round, whether it was up against the cage or throwing big punches from the center it was up to him.
Mir opened up with some more kicks and knees to keep Cormier at bay for a couple of minutes. However the clinch game continued for Cormier and he bullied Mir up against the cage almost at will.
It wasn’t pretty, but Cormier did what he needed to do to get his first UFC victory.
Daniel Cormier def. Frank Mir by Unanimous Decision (30-27,30-27,30-27)
“I’m not happy with my performance. I was nervous and I can’t explain why. It must’ve been this big fight feel. I didn’t fight how I wanted. I controlled the fight and I thought I landed some good punches. At the end of the day, I stay undefeated and move forward. Before I walked into the cage I felt a little nervous. Maybe it was all the back and forth between Frank and I leading up to the fight. I’m sure the jitters will get better with time. I should’ve thrown my jab more and kicked more. On the outside I felt like I was landing great punches. There’s a lot of things I can do differently. My striking is better and faster and my cardio was better. I train really hard. I’m going back to work on Monday and I will learn from this.”
