The Daniel Cormier era is almost over.
History will be very kind to Daniel Cormier. The wrestling standout only transitioned fully to MMA as a 30-year-old, but he would quickly assert himself as one of the greatest fighters to ever grace an Octagon.
In his eighth bout, Cormier took on 54-fight veteran Jef Monson. He defeated the former UFC heavyweight title contender via unanimous decision to snap an impressive eight-fight win-streak. Next, he knocked out former Elite XC and Cage Warriors heavyweight king 'Bigfoot' Silva in one round. Silva was also on a great run which included wins over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski and the great Fedor Emelianenko.
When he defeated former Pancrase and UFC champion Josh Barnett to win the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix, it was obvious that DC was something special. He ended Barnett's eight-fight win-streak to become heavyweight king.
And then he signed for the UFC.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/955045059916894208
If it wasn't for Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier would probably be considered the greatest fighter ever. However, Cormier excelled where Jones failed. When 'Bones' couldn't hold onto his belt for his shortcomings outside the cage, DC was always there to keep the division moving and be the champion it deserved.
Cormier still holds the belt after
finishing Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220, but his reign won't be lasting much longer. As he explained during a recent appearance on the
MMA Hour, win, lose or draw, he has 14 months left, at most.
"I've always said at 40 it's over. So, I've said this could be the last year of my career. I mean, I say 'could be' because we're not truly at a year yet. Come March, I will have 12 months at max left. If I'm not done, I'm going to be done by March 20, 2019. I won't be fighting again."
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/890614612206395392
The thing about MMA retirements is that they don't often last. However, Cormier doesn't envisage returning after walking away. Once he's done, he's done.
"I'm going to be done at 40. I won't be back. There won't be jumping around or 'I'm done until I get the right type of fight.' It will be over. I'm not going to be doing this anymore. I've lived a great life in sports. I've loved every moment of it. My family has revolved around sports. Not only my family, Salina and the kids – but also my mom and my dad."
“I’ve been the centre of the athletic universe for my family for a really, really long time. It’s time for that to be little Daniel and Marquita. It’s time for them to be the centre of our athletic competition, and I just want to be one of those crazy dads that gets to yell on the sideline and just go crazy and brag about his kids.”
Thanks for the memories, Cormier. 10 years at the zenith of the sport after transitioning to it late is no mean feat. He's a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.
