Daniel Cormier
Cormier’s rise to prominence began in Strikeforce. He went from being an alternate for their Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2011 to fighting his way to the final. In the finals, he was slated to face Josh Barnett in the toughest test of his MMA career so far. So the intensity in training was high in the final weeks of his camp at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA).
However, documentary footage revealed that one sparring session went too far. Training partner Mike Kyle, who was also training to fight on the card, dropped the future UFC star with a flying knee to the head. It was a scary moment so close to such a momenteous moment in Cormier’s career. But the fight went ahead regardless and the gamble paid off. The former Olympian used his wrestling skills to outgrapple Barnett and win the Grand Prix before moving onto become a double champion in the UFC.
