Daniel Cormier’s story is usually told through the lens of wrestling mats and octagons. For starters, the Louisiana native is one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, a two-division champion and Hall of Famer. But before he ever put on gloves, Cormier was a football star with offers to play at the next level. Then what stopped him from pursuing an NFL career? A wide receiver named Randy Moss.
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Cormier actually had the resume to make football a real option. He was the all-state MVP on defense, was self-admittedly, a “pretty much Mr. Everything in football,” and even had legitimate offers to play.
But when he realized he’d have to chase someone like Moss, who ran a 4.25 in the 40 by the way, Cormier had second thoughts.
“I’m gonna chase Randy Moss? I’m not [that] smart,” Cormier admitted to Shannon Sharpe with a laugh, while recalling his teenage mindset on the Club Shay Shay podcast.
A major reason for Cormier’s underconfidence back then came from his lack of understanding of the nuances of football positions. “I didn’t really know the difference between a strong safety is more like a linebacker,” he said.
Instead, all Cormier could picture was lining up across from Moss, who was graduating the same year. “I was thinking I’m gonna be chasing dudes like Moss. I was like, there’s no way. Nah, I’m good. I’m gonna just go wrestle, man.”
There were also other hurdles in his path that stopped the future UFC heavyweight champ. His grades, for instance, weren’t strong enough, and then, the culture around Louisiana high school football only added to the weight.
“There’s way too much pressure on football down there in Louisiana. It’s bad. And we weren’t very good,” he explained.
“I was a good little linebacker, but I was small. And they were talking about me playing cornerback or free safety, strong safety. I was like, how am I supposed to chase Randy Moss?”
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That said, as we now know, walking away from the gridiron turned out to be the right decision for Cormier as it led him to wrestling, where he blossomed into a three-time Louisiana state champion, a two-time junior college national champion at Colby, and later an NCAA All-American at Oklahoma State.
Even at an international stage, he became a two-time Olympian before moving to MMA, where he captured both the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight titles, a feat only a handful of fighters have ever achieved.
And as for Randy Moss, Cormier’s fears were well-placed.
At Marshall, the receiver etched his name into record books, catching 54 touchdowns in just two seasons. The Vikings legend also became a Heisman finalist, won the Biletnikoff Award, and then tormented NFL defenses for 14 years.
As a result, Randy Moss was rightfully inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, and just last year, he was honored again with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
So, to sum it up, two sporting legends across two different sports had one sliding-doors moment. Even though Cormier might have ducked the nightmare assignment of covering Randy Moss, in doing so, both men ended up carving out Hall of Fame legacies on their own paths.
