Daniel Cormier Values Olympic Pride More Than Any UFC Accomplishment

Nico Lopez might only be 11, but boy, does he follow in the footsteps of his legendary father, Mario Lopez.  The 11-year-old’s confidence and questions had the comments section and presenters such as Megan Olivi shook. He even asked former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier some very intriguing questions and got some really quote-worthy answers.

One such question was regarding his time at the 2004 Olympics. Before transitioning to MMA, ‘DC’ was a team USA athlete in wrestling and had represented the country at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Although he didn’t secure a podium finish, he came fourth in his weight class, making him one of the best wrestlers in the world. To commemorate his achievement, he also got an Olympic tattoo on his right leg.

During the interview, Lopez asked him what it was like, and the former UFC double champion called it the proudest moment of his professional career – “I’ve never felt more pride than when I walked out there to represent our country.”

Cormier then spoke about what made it special, “You go out there with that United States singlet, the flag’s on your chest. I’ve done a lot of things in my life, I don’t know that I’ve ever had more pride than when I wrestled in the Olympic games.”

 

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Do note that this is coming from a decorated mixed martial artist, considered one of the best of his generation, and one who has already been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Seemingly inspired by Cormier’s answer, Nico then revealed how it was his dream to be in the Olympics one day as well, which is why he had asked Cormier the question to begin with.

The UFC commentator then revealed what made him want to compete.

Cormier’s Olympic dream

‘DC’ was what you would call a late bloomer when it comes to wrestling. He only decided to take up the sport seriously and aim for the Olympics when he was 15 years old. He then worked towards his dream and achieved it.

Compare that to people like Nico Lopez, who at the age of 7 already knew he wanted to compete in wrestling at the highest level, in the Olympics. So when he told Cormier about his plans to compete in the Olympics, the UFC commentator encouraged him to follow his dream.

“I didn’t start thinking that till I was 15 years old. I watched Kendall Cross, and I watched Tom Brands, and I watched Kurt Angle win the ’96 Olympic games, and I thought to myself, I wanna do that one day.”

After the pair finished their wholesome interview, Cormier’s competitive side came out. He thanked Nico for the interview, then quickly reminded him that he was yet to win a basketball game against him.