Daniel “DC”Cormier

Daniel Cormier is a retired American mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and UFC Hall of Famer from Lafayette, Louisiana. Born March 20, 1979, Cormier stands 5 feet 11 inches. Before entering MMA, he wrestled at Colby Community College and Oklahoma State University, where he became an NCAA Division I runner-up. He later represented the United States in freestyle wrestling, placing fourth at the 2004 Olympics and qualifying for the 2008 Olympic team.

Cormier made his professional MMA debut against Gary Frazier on September 25, 2009. He developed at American Kickboxing Academy and won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix before joining UFC. After debuting in the promotion against Frank Mir in April 2013, he moved between heavyweight and light heavyweight while building his game around elite wrestling, clinch control, pressure and compact boxing.

Cormier captured the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship by submitting Anthony Johnson in May 2015. In July 2018, he stopped Stipe Miocic to add the heavyweight championship and become the second UFC athlete to hold titles in two divisions simultaneously. Cormier retired after his August 15, 2020 bout with Miocic and entered the UFC Hall of Fame’s Modern Era Wing in 2022. He remained active in the sport after retirement through UFC broadcasting and served as a coach opposite Michael Bisping on The Ultimate Fighter in 2026.