TO SAY he didn’t have the most aesthetically pleasing physique would be a gross understatement. But that rotund fighting shape certainly didn’t stop Daniel Cormier from going down as one of the best MMA fighters in history.
A few weeks ago at UFC 252, after losing to Stipe Miocic in their rubber match, “DC” thereafter announced he was walking away from the sport.
And of course, nobody will begrudge his decision. At age 41, he doesn’t have anything left to prove and his legacy is secure.
CHAMPION. DC came from an excellent amateur wrestling background. An Olympian who placed 4th in the 2004 Olympics, he also won a bronze medal at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships.
Early in his pro-MMA career, Cormier became the Strikeforce heavyweight champion in only his 10th fight.
But it was at the UFC where DC really made his mark. He was unsuccessful in his first challenge for the UFC light heavyweight title against rival Jon “Bones” Jones, but in his next fight he defeated Anthony Johnson via an impressive rear naked choke to win his first UFC title.
He successfully defended it four times, before the rematch with Jones. It ended up being a No-Contest because the latter tested positive for a banned steroid.
At UFC 226 he defeated Miocic by stoppage in the first round to become the heavyweight champion. He was only able to defend once against Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 and his reign lasted more than a year.
In the rematch, Miocic exacted revenge by winning via TKO in the 4th round.
Consider that 10 out of his last 11 fights were title bouts, the only outlier being that fight against Anderson Silva on short notice as a last-minute sub for Jon Jones.
In his last fight, D.C. was doing quite well, but an accidental poke in the eye consequently limited his output and he lost via unanimous decision.
DC retires with a record of 22-3 and is one of 4 UFC fighters to hold two titles concurrently alongside Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo.
What’s next for D.C.?
He does commentating for UFC fights and is pretty good at it and also works with younger fighters at the AKA.
He has the ability to rev up that crowd and is very popular so I won’t be surprised if he laces up those wrestling boots one more time and makes it to the WWE.
VERBATIM. “He’s helped many people and he doesn’t say anything about it. He helps people with money and other things here and there.
(Javier Mendez, coach of DC at the American Kickboxing Academy) www.themaclife.com
LAST ROUND. It’s on Ellerton Bacus of the 10000 B.C. Boxing Gym who recently celebrated his birthday. Cheers!