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Daniel Cormier of the United States faces his compatriot Stipe Miocic on August 17, which he beat in July 2018 for the title of heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the most prestigious martial arts league. Mixed Media (MMA). At 40, this endearing character argues perhaps the last fight of his rich career.
In a mixed martial arts ( MMA ) environment where muscles, tattoos and insults are commonplace and part of the show, Daniel Cormier is an extraterrestrial figure. The American is certainly one of the greatest champions in the history of MMA. But his love handles and his "Mister Nice Guy" side denote within the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
"DC" - his nickname - is apart. First, because he is the only other fighter in UFC history, with the Irishman Conor McGregor , to have simultaneously held the champion belt in two different weight categories ("heavy" and "heavyweight"). light "). But also by his personality and his career.
From mourning to mourning
Daniel Cormier was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, one of the poorest states in the United States. At the age of 7, the day of Thanksgiving 1986, his father is shot dead by a relative of the family. A first tragedy in a flood of tragic events. In June 2003, he lost his 3-month-old daughter Kaedyn in a car accident. A trauma about which he spoke recently, with great difficulty, for the magazine "E: 60".
Daniel Cormier returns on the death of his daughter, in 2003.
DC sat down with us for 3 hours in December to talk about his journey. He's been through hell and back, but this was not easy. It was very hard to see him recount the death of his first daughter. Thankful that he was willing. pic.twitter.com/tJFafArYLf
Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 9, 2019In fact, Daniel Cormier has seen many friends disappear prematurely. One of his friends and a cousin also died in road accidents. Another perished in an air crash.
Wrestling as a guiding thread
Despite all these tragedies, Daniel Cormier has kept his head out of the water. Sport, especially free wrestling, helped him a lot. A discipline he started at the age of 11, which led him to several national titles and two Olympic qualifications.
In 2004 in Athens, the one who also shone in American football was close to the bronze medal (4th). In 2008 in Beijing, however, he had to withdraw.
The conversion to MMA
Like many wrestlers, Daniel Cormier then decided to convert to MMA. In 2009, he made his professional debut in a league called Xtreme MMA. Then, in 2010, he goes on with Strikeforce, a much more powerful organization.
In 2013, it's the grail. The "Louisianian" engages with the UFC. To avoid having to face his friend, training partner and mentor, Cain Valsquez, Daniel Cormier decides to "go down" in the lower weight category: light-heavyweight.
The rivalry with Jon Jones
Two years later, after four successes at the UFC, Daniel Cormier faces the formidable Jon Jones for the belt. He loses against his compatriot, by unanimous decision of the judges. A few months later, after a success against Anthony Johnson, Cormier recovered however the title left vacant by Jones, guilty of having caused a serious accident of the road and having escaped. This is the beginning of a fierce rivalry, Jones can not stand to have been dispossessed. In July 2017, revenge is scheduled. Jones wins the second act, by knockout this time. But his victory is subsequently canceled, following a positive doping control.
Since then, the path of the two opposites - Jon Jones was sentenced by the courts and suspended for doping - did not cross again. But rivals hate each other openly. And it does not happen a week without the rumor of an act.
The consecration against Stipe Miocic
While waiting for hypothetical reunions in an octagon - the combat surface in MMA - Daniel Cormier has already entered the legend of mixed martial arts. In July 2018, he knocked out the one who was then the king of the heavyweights: Stipe Miocic. The latter, however, had beaten the overpowered Cameroonian Francis Ngannou , a few months earlier.
Happy to have reached his goals, Daniel Cormier hoped to retire as a fighter last March, while his current record was 21 successes in 23 fights before a new victory against Derrick Lewis. But an injury to postpone the deadline.
Pass on your passion
After his new clash with Miocic, he could honor a last fight, even if it leaves a doubt about his intentions.
Daniel Cormier has in any case already a possible reconversion field: consultant. Very comfortable behind a microphone, he has been commenting for several years on UFC games. He also regularly trains young children in free wrestling. The multiple-champion loves to pass on his passion for sport, a field that has helped him through four decades of blows.
The fight present Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic II