Daniel Cormier will be striding into familiar territory on April 8.
The reigning UFC light heavyweight champion has yet to fight in Buffalo, but the location is the only anomaly in his upcoming title fight at UFC 210. He's beaten challenger Anthony Johnson once before, gotten over the hump of his first title defense, even vanquished most of the elite in two different weight divisions.
Here are five of his journey's most noteworthy conquests:
Josh Barnett at the 2012 Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix
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"DC" put it all together in just his 10th career fight.
Before tangling with former UFC heavyweight champion Barnett for five rounds, Cormier had bested nine mostly unheralded opponents, but any jitters he may have had prior to facing his most decorated foe (at the time) did not accompany him to the Strikeforce cage on fight night.
The Louisiana native confidently stood in the pocket, outstruck "The Warmaster" and even emerged from his crafty clutches unscathed on more than one occasion to take all three scorecards and win the promotion's 2012 grand prix.
Patrick Cummins at UFC 170
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Cormier's light heavyweight debut came with some unwelcome preamble.
After Rashad Evans bowed out due to injury just 10 days prior to UFC 170, the former heavyweight was pitted against little-known Cummins. Despite taking the fight on such short notice, Cummins found time to belittle Cormier's wrestling acumen, as the pair had trained together in preparation for the latter's trip to the 2004 Athens Olympics. The newcomer's words irked Cormier, who made Cummins eat them accordingly with a beatdown that lasted all of 79 seconds.
Dan Henderson at UFC 173
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Shortly before he and Jon Jones began their bitter rivalry, Cormier beat a fellow Olympian at his own game.
Then a title challenger in the making, DC wisely neutralized Henderson's deadly right hand by smothering him against the canvas for the better part of three rounds. Cormier wore "Hendo" out with a handful of heavy takedowns before taking his back for the fight-ending rear-naked choke late in Round 3.
The victory improved Cormier's UFC record to 4-0 and earned him a shot at Jones' strap less than eight months later.
Anthony Johnson at UFC 187
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No fighter has tested Cormier's mettle - or chin - more than Johnson did in May of last year.
"Rumble" dropped DC with an overhand right in the first and unleashed a barrage of high kicks in the second round of their contest, but Cormier resorted to his vaunted grappling to sap Johnson's energy just as he had Henderson's. Some well-timed, albeit hard-fought takedowns rendered "Rumble" sluggish and left his back ripe for the taking by Round 3, with Cormier notching his second straight victory by rear-naked choke to win the vacant light heavyweight strap.
Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192
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DC didn't need to heed his coach's words to secure his first successful title defense.
Gustafsson's striking prowess didn't deter Cormier from trading leather with the towering Swede in his first title defense, as the champ rode some scrappy boxing to a split decision victory. Cormier's corner implored him to put Gustafsson on his back, but he instead chose to pepper the challenger's kisser with uppercuts for the better part of their five-round contest.
The tactic had "The Mauler" running from DC in the championship rounds, validating the champ as far more than a one-trick pony.
