Mike Dolce: Daniel Cormier Could Make 185 Without Any Performance Dropoff

Renowned MMA nutritionist Mike Dolce believes that UFC light heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier can make some noise at 185 pounds without seeing a noticeable drop off in skill. 

Dolce made the bold proclamation when he spoke on MMA Junkie Radio recently:  

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I think if (Cormier) keeps living the lifestyle that he keeps now, takes more of my advice (and) a closer approach with me to help him modify that, if he wants to, he’ll be able to weigh in at 185 (pounds) to compete very close to what he competes at as a light heavyweight. ... He would gain strength, he would gain speed, and he would gain durability. Look at the photos of him when he weighed in at 205 (pounds). Look at that body, and you can see he’s not nearly as ripped as he could be. 

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Cormier, a former Olympic-level wrestler, fought his first 13 professional mixed martial arts contests at heavyweight—taking out notable names such as Antonio Silva, Josh Barnett, Frank Mir and Roy Nelson.

After the victory over Nelson in October, "DC" decided he would finally test the waters at light heavyweight after teasing a move to 205 pounds for the better part of 2013.

Dolce aided Cormier, to some extent, to make 205 pounds for his UFC 170 encounter with Patrick Cummins, but the weight loss guru told MMA Junkie Radio that it was never a formal partnership.

Cormier, who suffered kidney damage due to a bad weight cut to make 211.5 at the 2008 Olympic Games, is 2-0 since heading to a lighter weight class. 

His most recent victory was a masterful performance against former PRIDE/Strikeforce champ Dan Henderson at UFC 173 in May, choking him unconscious with a rear-naked choke in the third round. 

The American Kickboxing Academy standout has stated that he will wait for a title shot against the winner of Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson II at UFC 178 in September, per MMA Fighting.

Therefore, assuming he remains unbooked for the immediate future, a drop to middleweight wouldn't make much sense right now. 

According to the UFC's official rankings, Cormier is the No. 2 light heavyweight in the world, behind only Gustafsson. 

In the event that Cormier comes up short against either Jones or Gustafsson early next year, would a cut down to 185 pounds be the next logical move in his career?

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.