Daniel Cormier has the distinction of being a champion in two weight divisions simultaneously in the UFC. The wrestling Olympian successfully defended belts in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, winning many memorable bouts. But there is one fight that stands out for him. Cormier considers beating Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 as his greatest moment in the UFC.
Cormier says the win cemented his place among the all-time greats in the sport.
During their weekly Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast, former UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen asked Cormier what was the bigger moment: beating Stipe or interacting with Brock Lesnar after that fight.
Before he could even finish the question, DC jumped in with the answer.
“So both were fun, but knocking Stipe out was the greatest thing ever. But when Stipe went down bro, it was like all the greatest emotions I have ever had in my life. After that fight I went to a party and I had my first sip of drink in three months. I have never tasted anything sweeter,” he said.
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Following DC’s KO of Miocic, Lesnar barged into the octagon and pushed the champ. This garnered serious attention at the time. After all, everyone thought the incident would lead to a super-fight between the two in the UFC.
DC knew what Lesnar brought to the table, PPV-wise. He was a WWE superstar who already had a legion of fans even before he stepped into the octagon. And, when he featured in a co-main bout against Mark Hunt at UFC 200, the PPV buys went through the roof.
Cormier understood at the time that a fight with Lesnar would be massive financially. It never materialized though. Lesnar tested positive for PEDs after the fight against Hunt, and was banned.
Nonetheless, Cormier’s interaction with Lesnar in the octagon remains iconic.
Post retirement, DC has time and again acknowledged the greatness of his rivals. He has heaped praises on Miocic on many occasions. Once, the former champion even went to the WWE and had a heart-to-heart interview with Lesnar, who looked like he enjoyed the conversation.
And now, DC is putting his faith in his biggest rival, Jon Jones.
DC bats for Jones amidst recent rule changes
Cormier and Jones don’t see eye-to-eye, but there’s one thing they agree on: that Jones’ lone loss in 2009 to Matt Hamill via a DQ should be struck off the record.
It came from a controversial call over 12-to-6 elbows, a move is now legal after recent updates in the UFC rules, including those announced at UFC Edmonton.
“Jon Jones should be undefeated… there was a moron referee that said he should be disqualified,” Cormier said at a Q&A event.
Despite his continued dislike of ‘Bones’, Cormier admitted he’ll miss seeing him compete if Jones’ appearance at UFC 309 later this month is indeed his swan song.
