Daniel Cormier

At the age of seven, Daniel experienced a horrific tragedy—losing his father to gun violence on Thanksgiving Day. Despite enduring such an enormous loss at a young age, he never turned to drugs or gangs. He found strength in the example of his mother and stepfather instead. He watched his stepfather hold down two or three jobs at a time to provide for their family and turn down government assistance, even when they could have used it. Their strength and perseverance under difficulty instilled in Daniel the value of hard work, persistence, and integrity, making him the person he is today.

In 2003, while Daniel was supposed to wrestle at the world team's final trials, tragedy hit Daniel again. His girlfriend at the time, while driving through the road of Texas along with their 3-month-old daughter, a 18 wheeler crashed into the car they were driving, 3 people injured and there was only one fatality, and it was her beloved daughter.

"I just remember her casket being so small, and I didn't understand why stuff like this keeps happening to me." - Daniel Cormier.

Daniel took his daughter as inspiration to push himself to the highest level, ultimately qualifying for the Olympic team. He did not win an Olympic medal but finished an impressive fourth and went on to win a bronze medal at the World Championships.

Daniel was confronted with unimaginable tragedy—his father, daughter, best friend, and cousin all perished in car accidents, and his college roommate passed away in a plane crash. His road was not an easy one, but he would not be defeated by hardship. He decided that all the hardship and sacrifice would be worth it. If not through wrestling, then why not MMA?

Daniel would immediately find success, becoming champions in three different promotions. Before his last fight at Strikeforce (one of the promotions he was fighting at), Daniel brought his two children to watch his fight for the first time, Daniel would wear shorts that have three names on it, his two children's names and the daughter that passed away.

"They(Daniel's two kids) would say Who's the third name on your shorts? ' and I would say that they had a sister and that she looks over them" - Daniel Cormier.

Daniel's tireless work ethic brought him to the UFC, ultimately, where he arrived with an unblemished 11-0 record. With every win, he was soon matched against the biggest challenge of his life—a man widely regarded as the greatest of all time, Jon Jones. The feud had even ignited before they stepped into the cage. Both fighters exchanged word-play insults at every opportunity, firing verbal insults well ahead of actual exchanges, building one of the greatest and most notorious rivalries in UFC history.

The fight against Jon Jones is for the light heavyweight title. In 2015, the fight finally happened, and Daniel ended up suffering his first ever career loss, with a whether decisive contest, by Jon Jones winning a unamious decision win. Jon was not apologetic to Daniel even after winning, this only sparked a deeper hate between the two. This only adds insult to injury, as the first man to beat him is the person he hated the most. On April 26, Jon ran through a red light and hit a car with a pregnant lady inside. Jon, instead of calling the police, decided to abandon his car and ran away because of the possession he had, weed and alcohol.

Jon was everything Daniel disliked about irresponsibility and lack of caution, particularly on the road. His actions eventually cost him his title. With Jon Jones out, Daniel seized the opportunity and captured the title of the division. However, they still considered him the true champion, believing that Daniel had never truly claimed the throne without defeating him.

In 2017, Daniel finally got a chance to shut the critics up in a much-awaited rematch. The fight was fierce and closely contested, with both men struggling desperately. But in round four, Jon caught Daniel with a devastating head kick that put everything to an end. The fight was over immediately. Once more, the guy Daniel hated the most had defeated him.

"I don't know, man. if he wins both fights, then I guess there's no rivalry." - Daniel Cormier

But the victory was brief. The fight was later ruled a no contest after Jon Jones tested positive for steroids. The title was thus restored to Daniel Cormier, while Jon was suspended.

Swearing to make himself proud, Daniel defended his title against a quality challenger, and in doing so, he finally earned the respect he had worked so hard to receive. The fans rallied around him, and with Jon Jones in his corner, he set his sights on the next challenge even greater—moving up to heavyweight to fight Stipe Miocic, regarded by many as the greatest heavyweight of all time.

"I am the UFC heavyweight champion! This is the biggest moment of my life. I never dreamed I would fight in this weight class, but when you get an opportunity like this, you’ve got to take it." - Daniel Cormier

In 2018, Daniel shocked the world, delivering one of the greatest upsets ever in UFC history when he knocked out Stipe in the first round. He became a champion by winning and became only the second fighter ever—after Conor McGregor—to hold two-division UFC titles simultaneously. His place in history was cemented, and he blazed his path into the Hall of Fame.

In 2020, at the age of 41, Daniel retired from the sport of MMA. He had cemented himself not only as one of the greatest fighters of all time but also as a role model—a devoted father, a hardworking athlete, and a genuinely good person.

"I’m not going to fight anymore. It’s time for me to move on and be a father, be a husband, and be a coach." - Daniel Cormier