Daniel Cormier, the two-time Olympic wrestler and six-time senior national champion freestyle wrestler, has agreed to face another MMA rookie, Gary Frazier, in his MMA debut on the Sept. 25 Strikeforce Challengers card at the SpiritBank Events Center in Bixby, Okla. The fight will be contested in the heavyweight division. The event, which will air live on Showtime, is headlined by Tim Kennedy vs. Zak Cummings.
Frazier won his amateur MMA debut via first-round TKO (cut) against Jessie Sinks in June. He currently trains with MMA veteran Matt Grice. He is a former two-time state wrestling champion from Oklahoma, and also played college football at Oklahoma A&M.
Cormier had a 117-10 record at Oklahoma State University. The 30-year-old finished fourth in the 2004 Olympic games in freestyle wrestling, but was forced to withdraw early from the 2008 Games after suffering from severe dehydration.
He currently trains at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.
Below is a look at the full lineup:
Televised Bouts:
Tim Kennedy (9-0) vs. Zak Cummings (10-0)
Ray Sefo (1-0) vs. Kevin Jordan (11-7)
Tyron Woodley (5-0) vs. Zach Light (4-8)
Travis Calanoc (4-0) vs. Thomas Longacre (4-0)
Daniel Cormier (0-0) vs. Gary Frazier (0-0)
Preliminary Bouts:
Lacey Schuckman (2-0) vs. Jeri Sitzes (2-2)
Levi Avera (12-5) vs. Paul Bradley (10-1)
Trey Houston (1-0) vs. Brandon Gaines (4-10)
Kenny Giddens (8-5) vs. John Carson (7-1)
Nick Gibbons (13-0) vs. Josh Pulsifer (11-4)
Lemont Davis (2-3) vs. Dillon Smith (1-0)
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