Lost in the drama of missed weight cuts, controversial decisions, and epic front kick knockouts at UFC 274 was news that former two weight class champion Daniel Cormier would be joining the UFC Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2022.
Cormier was made aware of the news during the telecast and celebrated an emotional moment with fellow commentators Joe Rogan and Jon Anik at ringside. The 43 year old was the second fighter in promotion history to hold championship belts in two different weight classes simultaneously after Conor McGregor.
The induction ceremony is expected to take place later this summer during International Fight Week in Las Vegas. The event runs from June 26th-July 2nd, though an exact date has yet to be made public.
A former NCAA Div 1 wrestler, Cormier was a member of the US Olympic Freestyle Wrestling team at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. He began his MMA career in Strikeforce, breaking through as the Heavyweight Grand Prix champion in 2012. A few months later, the native of Lafayette, Louisiana signed a deal to join the UFC in 2013 where he would win 11 of his first 13 fights.
Cormier would make his UFC debut on April 20th, 2013 against Frank Mir, winning by unanimous decision. From there he would go on one of the most impressive runs in light heavyweight/heavyweight history, defeating all challengers he faced except for Jon Jones.
DC would suffer the first professional loss of his career in 2015 against Jones, losing by unanimous decision to drop his record to 15-1. A second bout between the two would ultimately be ruled a no contest by the CSAC after Jones tested positive for a banned substance.
Following the second Jones fight, Cormier would win 3 straight contests, including a 2018 KO victory over heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic to become a two weight class champion himself. The AKA fighter would defend his heavyweight belt against Derrick Lewis later that year, before losing back to back fights in his trilogy with Miocic.
Cormier would retire from professional fighting following his 3rd bout with Stipe in 2020 to become a full time commentator and UFC personality. DC finished his career with a 22-3 (1NC) record, and will be joining Khabib Nurmagomedov in this year’s HOF class.
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