Strikeforce
Daniel Cormier to undergo hand surgery after Strikeforce Grand Prix win over Josh Barnett
May 20, 2012 - 8:50:25 PM Daniel Cormier to undergo hand surgery after Strikeforce Grand Prix win over Josh Barnett

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Josh Barnett wasn't alone in fighting through an injury in Saturday night's Strikeforce main event in San Jose, Calif., as Daniel Cormier also broke his hand in the first round of their Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix Finals bout. Both fighters fought through the pain, however, and made it to the final horn after 25 minutes of action.

Cormier's broken hand was the same one he injured in a first round win against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva last fall. He didn't opt to get surgery on the hand that first time around, but following Saturday's event he said he'll go under the knife to repair the latest break.

"I think this time I'm going to take a different approach," Cormier said after the event (via MMAFighting.com. "I think I'm going to have surgery on it and get it fixed, because I don't want it to be recurring and then end up costing me later and later on down the line."

"Normally when you get surgery you get it to heal faster. It's not as bad as it was the first time, because the first time, I could hardly I even move it."

Cormier said he didn't even let on to his corner that he was injured, instead opting to utilize several different types of attacks. That included head kicks, elbows, slams, and more, and Cormier was shocked by the amount of punishment Barnett was taking.

"Josh did a great job," Cormier said. "He fought tough, he fought hard, he was in there in my face the whole time. I couldn't believe some of the shots that I landed in there, especially the two head kicks. I couldn't believe that he stayed up."

"The biggest surprise was when I took him down in the second round and just kind of stayed here," Cormier continued. "It was very surprising to me how easy it was to stay in his guard, he's such a good leg lock guy that I thought maybe he would let me pass through his half-guard or something."

"I made an adjustment in the fight when I realized he was going to allow me to control him on the bottom. It was a little easier with my strikes when I realized he was going to respect my takedowns. It changed things a little bit."

Penick's Analysis: Considering Cormier's second and third round may have been his best of the fight, that's even more impressive. Doing what he did in those rounds with a broken hand - the same one he had broken eight months earlier - could not have been easy, and yet he still pulled it off. It was an excellent performance, and hopefully he heals up quick with surgery so we can all see him back in the cage again. He's become a must-see heavyweight fighter, and the sooner he gets into the UFC the better it will be for everyone.