Daniel Cormier has had great days in his distinguished career but even he admits there are only a handful of days where everything just clicks. In a conversation with Ben Askren about the elusive “flow” state and how it felt when it became real for him during the fight against Dan Henderson.
Cormier called it a crazy experience and said that he got into a clinch with Henderson, then sidestepped and threw him via a Polish lateral drop- all in one single poetic symphony.
“I do know, it is when everything seems like it is working. I got in the flow state one time. I swear to god it happened. When I was fighting Dan Henderson, I was doing things… I get on a high crotch then I flip him through. I was in a flow state, everything was working.”
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Cormier’s movements in the Henderson fight were instinctive, and time just stood still, as if to applaud. Now these moments are few and far between, especially in combat sports. MMA has a wide base of fighting techniques, so the flow state isn’t always natural. Sometimes, everything a fighter does is countered by something they have never seen before.
There’s just too much happening inside an octagon to orchestrate a symphony like Cormier did against Henderson. That said, it never stopped him from being an absolute legend of a fighter.
Cormier’s distinguished career
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev might always joke about DC’s weight these days but back in his heyday, the former champion was an undersized heavyweight.
DC was never one to look like he had abs or went on a mad diet to be on the cover for Men’s Fitness. But at 1.75mts, he was far smaller than his competition, especially after he moved up to the heavyweight division.
But that never mattered since Cormier made history by becoming a two-division UFC champ, holding both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles at the same time – an elite club few can claim.
Cormier dominated the heavyweight scene, even back in his Strikeforce days. UFC commentator Joe Rogan even praised him on his podcast and asserted,
“DC’s just a tank. His wrestling and willpower were off the charts. He dominated two divisions, and he’s the nicest guy ever. You’d never guess he could slam anyone in the room.”
Cormier retired with wins over some of the UFC’s best – Stipe Miocic, Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Johnson, and Dan Henderson. In 2022, he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
