Daniel Cormier Wants Next Fight at UFC on Fox Sports 1 Alongside Chael Sonnen

Former Strikeforce heavyweight and Olympic talent Daniel Cormier is still eyeing a cut to 205 pounds, but he wants a fight at UFC on Fox Sports 1 this August.

During a UFC on FX 8 post-fight coverage segment on Fuel TV (via MMA Weekly), the top-ranked contender asked for a fight at heavyweight to follow up on his one-sided decision victory over former UFC champion Frank Mir:

"

I want to fight on the first card on FOX Sports 1 in Boston on Aug. 17. And I hope my man Chael Sonnen is fighting Wanderlei Silva next to me. Put us on the card, boss!

At the end of the day I can't cut massive amounts of weight.  That's well documented from my problems in the Olympic games.  But I can diet, and when I'm dieting I can still fight.  Can I fight at 205? No.  Because it's too much weight to cut in a short period of time.  But could I fight a heavyweight fight and just be a little lighter? I think so.

"

UFC on Fox Sports 1 takes place on August 17, and given the timing, that would only free up two names on the promotion's roster.

Currently, the only winning heavyweights yet to face Cormier without a fight scheduled are Roy Nelson and Todd Duffee.

Since Duffee is nowhere near the title hunt and well outside of the official UFC rankings, that would make Nelson the most likely candidate for Cormier at UFC on Fox Sports 1, assuredly for a title eliminator on the main card.

Moreover, Cormier has already declared that he refuses to fight for the UFC Heavyweight Championship (via MMA Weekly) as long as Cain Velasquez holds the title. Both men are friends and training partners at the American Kickboxing Academy.

In 2008, Cormier suffered kidney failure while competing at the Olympic Games, due to massive weight cutting of 20- to 30-pound increments, according to Sports Illustrated.

As a result, the common practice of weight cutting in MMA isn't a safe or viable option for the relatively stout Cormier—standing at a mere 5'10" in height—despite stepping onto the scales before UFC on Fox 7 at 30 pounds under the 265 heavyweight limit.

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McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania and The L.A. Times.