Daniel Cormier meets Alexander Gustafsson in a UFC light heavyweight title showdown this Saturday night in Houston. It's one of the very best fights that can be made in the division and a classic wrestler-striker matchup between two of the most skilled fighters in the division.
Both Gustafsson and Cormier are cerebral, strategically minded fighters with diverse skill sets. This is a complex matchup with a great many variables, so I spoke to former UFC bantamweight champion, longtime Gustafsson training partner and current Fox Sports 1 analyst Dominick Cruz to find some clarity.
Wyman: Given that you have a lot of experience with the topic and in training with Gustafsson, I was hoping we could discuss the art of fighting on the outside. Gustafsson is obviously going to want to stick and move and keep this Cormier on the outside as much as possible. How can he go about shutting down Cormier's pressure?
Cruz: He has to shut down Cormier's pressure by getting respect right off the bat. When Alex fought Jon Jones, he came right out and hit him immediately with combinations. That's how he got the respect of Jones.
He has to do the same thing here. He can't come out backpedaling and worrying about the power or the wrestling of DC, because if you're worried about it, you're going to back up. If you're confident that you know he's going to wrestle, and you know when he's going to wrestle, that makes it easier to deal with Daniel Cormier.
How do you know when DC's going to wrestle? You know because of places that you're lined up. He [Gustafsson] has to give DC certain positions so that he wants to shoot. When he wants to shoot, you have something set up for that.
The key to dealing with DC is that you have to bring his shot down, make him telegraph it. You can make a wrestler telegraph shots when you move the way Alex does. He moves laterally, side to side. It's hard to shoot on a target that isn't planted, and Alex is constantly moving and switching stances.
More than anything, Alex lines his lead leg up with the right leg of his opponent, especially if it's a shorter wrestler. He'll float just outside the right hand of Daniel Cormier, so that if he tries to throw that right, Alex can just slip outside of it.
Simultaneously, that also deals with the shot of Daniel Cormier, because he's offset. He's not standing directly in front of him. Most of the time they're lined up directly in front of each other, so that their right hand and left hand can touch. Instead, Alex will have his right hand lined up with Cormier's.
That's where he likes to stay when he fights on the outside, shifted to the left of his opponent. What that does is it lines his uppercut right up the middle and takes away the shot, because DC will have to shift directly in front if he wants the takedown. That tells Alex to peel off and get away.
The jab is obviously going to be very important in this fight. Using that jab keeps DC outside and forces the shot by pressuring him, and allows Alex to deal with the wrestling without having a wrestling background.
Wyman: In the past, Gustafsson has used his clinch game, which is really underrated, to buy time when aggressive opponents get inside. Can he afford to do that against someone who's as good in the clinch as Cormier, or will that give Cormier too many opportunities?
Cruz: He can still do that against Cormier. He's done it his whole career against wrestlers who are trying to take him down. The reason why he can do that is because he doesn't just clinch you and try to use wrestling; he uses his boxing to set up his clinch. When he's throwing punches, it looks like he's just being offensive with boxing, but really he's using it to set up his clinch and his takedowns.
But honestly, the takedowns aren't going to be effective against DC unless he can keep him there. If you take DC down, he's going to get right back up and start pressuring you again. Against Jon Jones, it broke the rhythm and took away a lot of his comfort.
Daniel doesn't get uncomfortable when you take him down. He's used to it and he's ready for it. He actually doesn't mind if you get into any kind of wrestling scramble situation, even if he's on his back, because then he's wrestling.
Wyman: Cormier is exceptionally comfortable, probably more so than any other wrestler in the UFC, in those spaces in between positions. He loves the ride, hitting duck-unders, where he doesn't have to complete a takedown as long as he can force a scramble, grab a front headlock or even just a two-on-one on the arm. He's going to be comfortable in that position.
Cruz: Right. DC wants to get into any kind of grappling scramble he can with Alex. It doesn't matter if Alex tries to clinch him for one second; any time DC is clinched with Alex, DC is comfortable. That's the one thing Alex can't allow, for DC to get comfortable.
He has to constantly keep moving, constantly keep the jab out and get the respect with heavy punches. He has to rip the body of DC, too. The more he eats up the body with punches, the less of a chance there will be for DC to get under the punches and take him down.
Wyman: That's a really interesting point. If we're thinking about this fight as one that's likely to go five rounds, since they're both durable guys, this figures to be an attritive matchup. In that kind of fight, who has the edge as it goes later? Who do you think is more committed to wearing the opponent down?
Cruz: It just depends on how the fight goes. This fight is all about who can establish their comfort first. Alex finds his comfort zone by being able to move both forward and backward, not just back. When we see Alex able to move and pressure Cormier, we know he's comfortable.
DC is comfortable in any kind of clinch. It doesn't matter if it's for one second, if he's grabbing hold of Alex he's in a good place. That's what it comes down to, who can establish their comfort with the adjustments made. If DC can get the takedown, he might be able to finish faster, but I think Alex has to go all five rounds.
Wyman: Do you see any of this taking place in the pocket? We talked about Gustafsson's clinch entries and their usefulness, but do you think it might be good for him to stand his ground a throw a few combinations to keep DC off of him?
Cruz: If this fight is fought in the pocket, it's to Daniel's advantage. That's an off-limits zone for Alex. If he's not at jabbing range the whole time, Daniel's getting more comfortable. He has to keep Daniel on the outside, and the way he does it is by firing that jab and keeping his left leg lined up with Daniel's right leg.
By doing that, any time DC decides to force the fight into the pocket, he runs right into an uppercut. Alex can keep the range and make DC pay every time he tries to get into the pocket. Alex can slowly keep Daniel from even wanting to get inside and keep him outside where he wants.
When Alex moves simultaneously with that, the fight becomes DC chasing Alex around the cage and trying to force the clinch or telegraphing his shots.
Wyman: If DC is telegraphing shots, that's going to wear him out.
Cruz: Exactly, that's why Alex has to keep his jab out and keep his body offset. That way, the shot's not there, the pocket isn't there and every time he tries to get inside he pays for it.
If the fight starts getting into the pocket, or up against the cage, it's Daniel's fight.
Patrick Wyman is the Senior MMA Analyst for Bleacher Report. He can be found on Twitter.
