UFC 170 fight card primer: Daniel Cormier vs Patrick Cummins

In the co-main event at UFC 170: Rousey vs. McMann, Daniel Cormier (13-0 MMA; 2-0 UFC) faces Patrick Cummins (4-0 MMA; UFC Debut). This Light Heavyweight fight is the 4th of 5 fights on the PPV main card. The UFC Rankings have Cormier as the #4 contender at Heavyweight, but neither man is ranked at Light Heavyweight. UFC 170: Rousey vs. McMann airs this Saturday, February 22 live on PPV with a fight time of 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT for the main card.

What started as a very interesting match-up between Daniel Cormier and Rashad Evans has taken a real turn in the past month. When injury forced Evans out of the fight, it was newcomer Cummins who got the call up. The result has been strange, with a lot of talk of former grudges that culminated in Cormier shoving Cummins at the weigh-in. The whole thing has a bit of a WWE feel to it, which has led many to question how much of this "bad blood" is real, and how much is a sell job to up the interest in an otherwise awful co-main event.

How do these two stack up?

Cormier: 34 years old | 5'11" | 73" reach
Cummins: 33 years old | 6'2"

What have these two done recently?

Cormier: W - Roy Nelson (UD) | W - Frank Mir (UD) | W - Dion Staring (TKO)
Cummins: W - Willie Smalls (Sub) | W - Ricky Pulu (TKO) | W - Tasi Edwards (Sub)

How did these two get here?

Undefeated Daniel Cormier is a top 5 Heavyweight making the move down to 205 here. The former Strikeforce champion has looked like a future UFC champ for some time, but with teammate Cain Velasquez at top at Heavyweight, he opted to drop down. It's looked like a rough cut, and it will be interesting to see how depleted Cormier is tonight. Cormier has incredible wrestling credentials, and has shown off heavy hands at times as well. He could be a force at 205.

More Bloody Elbow coverage of UFC 170: Rousey vs. McMann

Patrick Cummins is a complete unknown to all but the absolute most hardcore of fans. With only 4 pro fights in his 3 year pro career, Cummins's call up to the UFC is a bit hard to understand. Cummins is extremely untested. He's never been out of the 1st round, never fought an opponent of merit. In fact, his last two opponents have had records of 5-13 and 0-1 when facing Cummins. Cummins has legitimate amateur wrestling credentials, which is where he and Cormier crossed paths before, but he is facing an absolutely monstrous step up here.

Why should you care?

The only reason to watch is to see is Cormier is a future title contender at 205. Aside from that, let's be frank - this could be the worst co-main event the UFC has ever put on PPV in the modern era.

Here's some video analysis of the final three fights on the UFC 170 card by our own Kid Nate, Dallas Winston and Connor Ruebusch. They dive deep into Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann, Daniel Cormier vs. Patrick Cummins, and Rory MacDonald vs. Demian Maia.