"Those tears are earned!" - Daniel Cormier talks about how he cried after his MMA losses and how UFC fighters deal with mental pressure

Daniel Cormier, the former two-weight UFC champion, isn’t one to hold back when expressing his feelings. He was seen crying after his defeats to Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

Daniel Cormier discussed crying after losses and the mental burden that professional athletes endure on ESPN MMA’s DC & RC podcast. He explained:

“Every time people laughed at me when I cried – When (Jon) Jones beat me in Anaheim, or I cried when Stipe (Miocic) got me, or I cried after my last fight – those tears are earned. Those tears are earned. You don’t get to cry for nothing. Those tears are earned through hard work because I put so much of myself into everything that those tears are earned.”

“Those tears are earned…” 💯 (via @dc_mma) pic.twitter.com/jE0kjorxnU

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 18, 2021

“So, when you see athletes like Paige (VanZant) or you see Naomi Osaka say, ‘I just can’t do this’, it’s so much bigger – Because, so much goes into preparing yourself for an actual competition, for something at the professional level. There’s a reason that it’s called professional.”

Daniel Cormier expressed his admiration for professional athletes once again.

During the podcast episode, Daniel Cormier discussed several renowned athletes with co-host Ryan Clark, including tennis star Naomi Osaka, famed US gymnast Simone Biles, and former UFC star Paige VanZant.

Daniel Cormier expressed his enthusiasm and respect for professional athletes from various sports. Cormier continued to emphasise the mental stress that athletes, particularly UFC fighters, suffer daily as part of their jobs. DC remarked:

“There’s a reason that these people that go inside the octagon – men, women, whoever goes into there – are professional fighters. Because they are different. And when they are different, and they cry in front of you, to be judged for the world, they have put (in) so much work, and those tears are earned in that work.”

Daniel Cormier lost a unanimous decision to Stipe Miocic in their UFC heavyweight title trilogy battle at UFC 252 in August 2020, which was his final professional MMA fight. After the fight, DC announced his retirement from MMA.

Daniel Cormier is currently a UFC analyst and pundit with a great career. DC is thought to be unlikely to compete in professional mixed martial arts again.