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‘DC is More Like Family’: Daniel Cormier Praised for Kind Gesture Toward Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov Before UFC 311

Allan Binoy
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Daniel Cormier (L), Islam Makhachev (R)

Daniel Cormier has added a personal and lighthearted touch in the build-up to what promises to be a monumental night for the Dagestani camp at UFC 311. The former double champion surprised lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and bantamweight title contender Umar Nurmagomedov by gifting them customized Straight Outta Compton T-shirts with a Team Khabib twist.

Instead of NWA’s Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube, the shirts featured the faces of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev, and Umar. While handing out the T-shirts, Cormier humorously declared:

“This is the real NWA, ain’t no Eazy E, Dr Dre, and Ice Cube, it’s Khabib, Islam, and Umar.”

The gesture touched Umar, who beamed while announcing: “It’s gonna be in my museum. I’m gonna save this”.

Fans embraced the moment in no time, flooding social media with praise for Cormier’s gesture.

One fan commented, “DC wholesome guy,” capturing the sentiment shared by many. “I love their friendship. DC is more like family at this point,” wrote another fan, highlighting the deep bond between Cormier and the Dagestani fighters.


The camaraderie was palpable in how the fighters reacted to DC’s gift. “You know Islam liked it when he whistles,” wrote one fan, referring to Makhachev’s delightful reaction.

Others couldn’t help but wish they got their hands on the T-shirt. They posted comments like, “I need this right now,” and, “Where can I get this @dc_mma”?

With this thoughtful gift, Cormier would have won the hearts of many more fans in Dagestan. They would love to have him visit the republic soon.

Cormier has never visited his Dagestani “family”

Cormier and the Dagestani camp go a long way back. He has often spoken about how he first met Khabib many years ago. At the time, the undefeated former lightweight champion couldn’t even speak English.

Cormier was still an active fighter back then, and they trained together at the American Kickboxing Academy. DC has been so close to the team that Khabib was furious when he acted friendly with Conor McGregor while interviewing him a few years ago.

Cormier did not take offense to Khabib’s comment because he understood where it came from. He even justified his friend later by saying that Khabib, on his part, ensures he does not become too friendly with Jon Jones because of the heavyweight champion’s feud with Cormier.


Given the nature of their friendship, one would assume Cormier has been to Dagestan at least once. But as it turns out, Islam has been trying to get him there for about 10 years now without any success.

“We tried to invite DC for like the last 10 years. He always says, ‘I will come, I will come,’ and then he says, ‘My daughter has gymnastics, my son has something,’ and he never comes, you know,” Makhachev said recently.

Once, Islam had even offered to train Cormier’s son in wrestling.

“Send your son to Dagestan. If you want your son to have high-level wrestling, send him for 2-3 years and forget. Six months, one time you can call him,” Islam had said. DC declined the offer because he couldn’t imagine being away from his kid.

Going by how deep their bond is, it is just a matter of time before Cormier packs his bags to visit the fabled mountains of the republic, and his Dagestani “family”.

Post Edited By:Smrutisnat Jena

About the author

Allan Binoy

Allan Binoy

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Allan Binoy is a MMA journalist at The SportsRush. Taken to the sport in 2015, thanks to a certain Conor McGregor, Allan has himself dabbled in the martial arts. And having graduated from Loyola College, Chennai, with a degree in English Literature, he has learnt to use his love for language to have a voice in the MMA community. Allan has been writing about the gladiatorial stories for more than three years now and has pursued excellence at a number of reputable media organizations, covering every UFC PPV in the last couple of years. In addition to this, the southpaw is also a semi-professional soccer player for Diego Juniors FC in Pune, playing in the Pune Super Division League.

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