Strikeforce: Daniel Cormier as High as 20 to 1 Betting Favorite

Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier

Betting Odds Overwhelming For Cormier, Barnett

 Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine, the promotion's final event, will take place January 12th, 2013. The two biggest fights on the card feature a welterweight title fight between champion Nate Marquardt and Belgian Tarec Saffiedine along with a heavyweight showdown of former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier defending his heavyweight belt against Dion Staring, a Dutch training partner of fellow countryman Alistair Overeem.

PRIDE and UFC veteran Josh Barnett will also look to rebound from his loss to Cormier last May, and he will most likely have little trouble doing so when he faces almost 40-newcomer Nandor "The Hun" Guelmino.

Bestfightodds.com shows Staring as a +1100 underdog ($100 bet will win $1100) at most sportsbooks, undoubtedly because the undefeated Cormier (-2000, meaning $2000 to win $100) has run over just about everyone that has been put in front of him with his powerful wrestling and boundless energy, such as Barnett and highly ranked heavyweight Antonio Silva. Despite Guelmino's 7 fight win streak and utterly terrifying demeanor, most sportsbooks place the well-rounded Barnett as a 15-1 favorite to win. Marquardt is heavily favored as well, but not nearly as much as Barnett or Cormier, due to the fact this will only be Nate's second fight at 170 lbs.

Many suspect that the only fighters capable of handing Cormier his first loss any time soon are the elite heavyweights of the UFC, most notably Cain Velasquez, the current champion and long-time training partner of Cormier.

Perhaps what prevents Staring from being entirely counted out is his experience, as he has fought all over the world and earned both submission and KO victories against various types of fighters. Staring has also had his fair share of grappling training with Rashad Evans' Blackzillian's in Florida. Still, the consensus is that regardless of whoever he's fought or practiced with, Dion Staring has never faced anyone with the incomparable wrestling skills of Cormier. We expect Daniel to begin his climb to the UFC heavyweight title shortly after his almost-certain decimation of Staring this Saturday night.

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