Daniel Cormier can pinpoint the exact moment he got serious about mixed martial arts, and it’s not what you might expect.
The future two-division champion was already a well-known figure in the sport, even before holding titles in both weight classes. By the end of his career, he’d put together a Hall of Fame resume that included victories over Stipe Miocic, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, and Alexander Gustafsson.
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But according to Cormier, there was a specific turning point early on. It happened in his second professional fight against Jeff Monson at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum in June 2011. That night still stands out for him because of what happened during the build-up to the fight.
Cormier reflects on sparring session that shifted his approach to MMA
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Daniel Cormier made a significant change in his approach to MMA after a sparring session with Cain Velasquez back in 2010.
At the time, he was helping his American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) teammate prepare for a world title fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in October of that year.
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“I was going back and forth between Oklahoma and California at the start of my career,” Cormier explained during an appearance on Y’all Street. “I’m sparring Cain because Cain is getting ready for a world champion fight. He’s gonna be the first world champ in the UFC out of AKA.”
“I started trying to be cute, and I’m fighting southpaw. By the way, 2010 was the last time I ever in my life stood in a fight with my right leg forward because he kicked me in the face and broke my nose.”
“I screamed, ‘Oh my God,’ then I turned my back. We were in a ring. He kicked my face. I screamed, ‘Oh my God,’ put my hands on the ropes, and was like, ‘Stop, stop, please, please.’”
The experience made him realise he needed to take MMA more seriously. It led him to move full-time to California rather than splitting time between there and Oklahoma.
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Cormier believes it helped steer his career towards becoming one of MMA’s best heavyweights ever.
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