Height/Weight/Division:
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) / 236 lb (107 kg; 16 st 12 lb) / Heavyweight
/ 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) / Light Heavyweight
Networth:
$6 million
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dc_mma
IG: https://www.instagram.com/dc_mma/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/danielcormiermma
One of the most well-known wrestlers to transition to MMA, Daniel Cormier is without a doubt considered an all-time great. Cormier is one of those elite champions that was able to defend his belt across two divisions. Speaks volume of how accomplished Cormier is and well rounded.
Cormier was known as one of the most talented pure wrestlers in MMA, mainly because he was also a former Olympian and was the wrestling coach of then UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez.
Strikeforce Career
Prior to joining the UFC, Daniel Cormier already had an accomplished MMA career, he was scheduled to face Jeff Monson as the reserved bout for the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix which he won via unanimous decision.
Due to Overeem pulling out to injury, Cormier was set to be the replacement in the Grand Prix semi-finals against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva who was coming off a win against Fedor Emelianenko. Cormier was a dark horse since he had not made a name yet in the sport of MMA, but he gave Silva a beatdown. It was not even close, Cormier had Silva’s number all throughout the fight, he managed to knock out Silva in under one round.
Moving to the finals, Cormier was set to face former UFC champion, Josh Barnett. Take note, Barnett was a big muscular guy but Cormier just ragdolled him. It was a showcase of how strong and elite Cormier is in the wrestling department. The win made him the Grand Prix champion. After that, he had one more fight against Dion Starin and won via TKO.
UFC Debut
When Cormier entered the UFC, he was undefeated and was known for his success in the strikeforce. His first fight was booked against former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir and he pretty much won all rounds. All judges gave it to DC 30-27.
He then faced Roy Nelson who was known for his durable chin, DC managed to take Nelson down easily with the use of his high-level wrestling and also in later rounds just picked apart a gassed Nelson winning all rounds as well.
Since Velasquez was the heavyweight champion at that time, Cormier did not want to fight his friend and teammate, so he decided to move down and fight at light-heavyweight. In his first LHW fight, he managed to finish Patrick Cummins in under one round.
In his second LHW fight, Cormier faced Dan Henderson where it was just a beatdown. Cormier easily slammed Henderson as if it was just paper. The level of wrestling that DC possessed in that fight was just jaw-dropping. Cormier finished Henderson via rear-naked choke in the third. He was beginning to look like a threat against Jon Jones.
Jones vs Cormier Rivalry
Cormier called out Jones to which the UFC booked it. The infamous rivalry started at their faceoff where it turned physical, even involved other people. That was when the bad blood started and made the people want to watch the fight even more.
In the fight, the early parts were even but somehow Jones managed to edge out most of the rounds but as the fight went on to the championship rounds it was when Jones flourished and Cormier was looking gassed. It may be due to Jones’s long experience as the reigning champion, but it was clear that Jones won the fight.
Cormier was obviously disappointed about his performance but he was given a second chance to fight for the title when Jones got stripped of his belt due to a hit-n-run incident that involved a lot more. Instead, Daniel Cormier vs Anthony Johnson was booked to fight for the vacant title.
Becoming the Light-Heavyweight Champion
Although suffering major adversity in the first round as Johnson landed a brutal head kick, Cormier managed to survive and take Johnson down in the second round. Once he got Johnson down, he managed to secure a rear-naked choke that made him the new light-heavyweight champion.
Alexander Gustafsson was then booked for his first title defense. It was a 5 round war that both fighters had their moments. Cormier almost got knocked out but survived, Gustafsson was outboxed by the shorter guy but in the end, two judges gave the fight to Cormier.
Initially, Cormier vs Jones rematch was booked for UFC 197, but Cormier pulled out due to an injury so an interim title fight was booked for Jones against Ovince Saint Preux.
After Jones’s suspension ended, he was booked to have a rematch against Cormier at UFC 200. It was supposedly a massive fight card as it featured other stars like Brock Lesnar, women’s title fight, Aldo, Velasquez, and much more. Unfortunately, Jones tested for banned substances again that canceled the main event.
Since Cormier was still willing to fight, the UFC booked him against Anderson Silva for a non-title fight. Cormier dominated Silva all rounds, taking him down with ease.
Due to Jones having a long suspension, Cormier was the reigning champion, so he needs to defend it. The clear top contender was Anthony Johnson, the UFC booked a rematch.
Cormier vs Jones 2
The same outcome happened, once Cormier took Johnson down, he submitted Johnson via rear-naked choke. Once Jones’s suspension was served, they booked it again for UFC 214. Jones gave Cormier his first knock-out loss, landing a head kick in the third round.
Cormier vs Oezdemir
A few weeks later, Jones tested positive for a banned substance again making the fight against Cormier a no contest. Cormier was the champion again and defended it against a rising contender, Volkan Oezdemir.
The fight showcased that there are levels in the sport and Cormier was just above Oezdemir. He outboxed Oezdemir and took him down. Once he got the top position, he got to a crucifix position that left Oezdemir absorbing unanswered shots. The referee had no choice but to stop the fight.
Quest to become a DOUBLE Champ
Stipe Miocic just broke the record of consecutive title defenses at the heavyweight division and was running out of title contenders. UFC gave Cormier an opportunity to become a two-division champion, but Cormier asked permission from his teammate Velasquez first.
So the super fight was booked, Cormier was a natural heavyweight, to begin with, and was undefeated in the heavyweight division coming up. He was coming in as the underdog since Miocic just broke the record and people were calling him the Heavyweight GOAT.
The fight ended at the last minute of the first round, Cormier landed a hook inside the pocket that Miocic did not see coming. Miocic went down and Cormier finished it with a few ground and pound.
He then proceed to call out Brock Lesnar who was also present at the event. Both exchanged words but there was never an official announcement from the UFC that it will happen.
Cormier’s first heavyweight defense
At UFC 230, there was one to main-event booked. So Cormier was there to save the event by headlining against Derrick Lewis. Cormier neutralized Lewis’s power by taking him down. At the second round, Cormier locked a rear-naked choke that stopped the fight.
After a while, Lesnar signed a deal with the WWE which led to a potential fight with Cormier not happening. Miocic instead was given a rematch which he deserved in the first place.
Cormier vs Miocic rivalry
The rematch was booked for UFC 241. Cormier started strong in the early rounds, pretty much winning the first three rounds. He was winning until he wasn’t as Miocic decided to go to the body that hurt Cormier. It then led to a TKO win by Miocic.
Cormier demanded a trilogy since he granted Miocic a rematch. The fight was booked and both fighters were aware of their tendencies and strengths. Although it was Miocic that edged out most of the rounds, winning the fight via unanimous decision.
Cormier then announced his retirement from the sport of MMA. He has had a great career, some say he was overshadowed by Jones but he never popped for a banned substance. His career was never tainted.
