Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson: Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Maybe you're the type who actually prefers this fight over the one that was supposed to be.

Maybe you didn't want to see the pound-for-pound king try to get past who is, for all intents and purposes, the final challenger to his light heavyweight crown.

Consider yourself at odds with this author.

All disagreements aside, Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson is still an exciting matchup at UFC 187 on May 23. And while this title bout feels all too similar to those "interim" ones, we can at least rest peacefully knowing that this fight will bring us the best light heavyweight fighter not named Jon Jones.

But who exactly is the world's No. 2 man? Let us discuss.

Striking

Jessica Gow/Associated Press

None of us really knew how Anthony "Rumble" Johnson was going to fare against Phil Davis. The former was making his Octagon return after a three-year absence. He'd gone undefeated, but he was also poised to take on one of the division's better fighters. It turned out the bright lights weren't bright enough for Johnson and his heavy striking.

He used his heavy striking to win the next two fights too—in devastating fashion.

Johnson likes to hit people. He likes to hit them hard. He doesn't waste any time in making use of his skills, either. He moves forward, cutting off the cage in the process before connecting leather to face.

Despite his unmatched wrestling IQ, Cormier likes to hit people too. But if his regular IQ has anything to do with DC's decision-making later this month, he'll steer clear of any exchanges with his opponent.

Edge: Johnson

Grappling

Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Look at the photo above. No, really—look at it.

Rarely do you see any man, no matter how good a wrestler, do that to his opponent. Especially not to Jones.

Johnson was able to stifle Davis' wrestling attack through three rounds of action about a year ago—a difficult task for any one fighter to accomplish against a proven grappler. But even with all his wrestling accolades sitting on a mantel in his living room, Davis isn't quite the wrestler that DC is.

Johnson—well-versed in the grappling world as well—likely won't have as easy of a time keeping his back off the mat against DC as he did against Davis. He may not get lifted up into the air like Cormier's two previous opponents, but Johnson will experience what it feels like to step into the cage with an Olympic-caliber opponent.

Edge: Cormier

Submissions

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Statistically speaking, Cormier is obviously the better submission artist in this one. He's tapped two of his opponents out, while Johnson has found himself on the bad end of three rear-naked chokes in nine years as a pro.

Technically speaking, Cormier is not that much better. Both of his submissions had less to do with crafty maneuvering and more to do with being opportunistic. His latest submission came against an undersized, outmatched, already defeated Dan Henderson. The first came against then-two-year pro Tony Johnson Jr.

Whatever adjective you prefer, we know who the better submission artist is in this one.

Edge: Cormier

X-Factors

Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Cormier: Bitter Taste of Title Defeat

We can all probably agree that no fighter likes to lose. That's standard stuff. But fighters who recently lost a chance at becoming the world's best really don't like to lose. Especially not one like Cormier, who still believes he's capable of claiming the spot atop the mountain.

Cormier steps into the UFC 187 cage knowing how rare of an opportunity he has available to him. With that understanding come drive and experience.

He may not be getting back-to-back title shots against the same opponent, but he'll be getting a title shot with the same amount of allotted fight time on his horizon. He admittedly slowed down in the twilight rounds of his first try for UFC gold. If his work ethic is any indication, he won't make that same mistake twice.

Johnson: Raw, Explosive Power

There's no guise surrounding Johnson's most linear path to the title. He wants to come out fast, aggressive and explosive. One solid shot to Cormier's noggin (or body, really) could be all the former welterweight needs to claim the light heavyweight strap.

A 170-pound Rumble was already a pretty heavy hitter. I claim no degree in physics, but I'd bet a 205-pound Rumble hits a teensy bit harder.

Prediction

Jessica Gow/Associated Press

Cormier comes into this fight with plenty of advantages. He's had more five-round affairs than Johnson. He's fought bigger and better guys than Johnson. He's, in all likelihood, a much better wrestler than Johnson.

And yet, through all of Cormier's skills and might, Johnson just needs one shot to stop his opponent in his tracks.

No, he doesn't need to knock Cormier out to win this fight. He'd be pretty wise in doing so, though.

Prediction: Johnson defeats Cormier via first-round TKO.