Daniel Cormier might smile and laugh behind the desk today, but don’t let that fool you. At his peak? The man was a problem. A two-division UFC champion who blended boxing sharp enough to rattle strikers, wrestling heavy enough to drown them, and cardio that broke wills — Cormier wasn’t just beating opponents, he was breaking them.

But here’s the thing: behind the Olympic medals and UFC belts, Daniel Cormier‘s journey wasn’t just about fighting in the cage. It was about fighting fear — and even fighting bullies. Literally.

Daniel Cormier reflects on overcoming adolescent phobia

Fighter turned commentator Daniel Cormier recently joined ex-bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling on the FunkmasterMMA YouTube channel, where he revisited a pivotal chapter from his wrestling days — the 2005 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary. At that point, ‘DC’ had already established himself on the regional circuit and earned his shot on the global stage. But as Cormier confessed, he initially tried to keep the opportunity under wraps.

He explained, “Then I tried to hide that I made the team because I was scared to fly on an airplane, since they were trying to send us to Budapest, Hungary. So then I did — I went to Budapest, Hungary. Because they caught my dad, Aljo — they caught my father, bro. The guy kept calling our house back then. We had house phones.

“Yes, I remember. Actually, one time they caught my dad. … was screening him — I was picking up and hanging up. Then they got my mom, and they went and got me a passport and made me go to Hungary.”

Looking back, Daniel Cormier’s father forcing him onto that plane might have been the single most important push of his career. Without it, fans may never have witnessed the rise of a two-division UFC champion who, in his prime, looked nearly untouchable. That flight to Budapest set the tone for the future — the same future where DC dismantled Frank Mir, broke down Stipe Miocic, and even stood across the cage trading fire with Jon Jones.

DC recalls the struggles of being bullied as a kid

Daniel Cormier stands as one of the most feared names in UFC history. He’s gone toe-to-toe with legends like Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic and even called out former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. In the Octagon, he radiates confidence with every move — the kind of dominance fans expect from ‘DC.’ But long before the championship belts and bright lights, ‘DC’  fought a different kind of battle — one no opponent could prepare him for.

On ESPN’s ‘DC and Helwani,’ he opened up about his childhood, revealing the relentless bullying he endured. “He was the worst. Gilbert Francis. His nickname was Mawn. He was crazy. He would beat me every chance he got. I was 7 years old he was 7 or 8, one year older than me.” He recalled one particularly brutal encounter: “I’ll tell you the worst case. One time two girls were fighting next to my house. Mawn comes walking across the tracks. He crosses through the park. I’m just watching the fight like everybody else. I’m just trying to enjoy the festivity.”

“He comes across the track, he just punches me for no reason like if there’s a fight, why not beat Dan? So he just beats me up, I run, I went to my house, cry a little bit, get over it, know that when I go back to school the next day, he’s probably gonna beat me again. That’s just what he did.”

Daniel Cormier refused to let it define him. “So then as I got older and started wrestling he tried to beat me up. I put him in a torture rack. He never grew.” Even years later, he laughs at the memory: “Mawn still believes he can beat me up.” Those early battles, however, forged the fighter he became. “For as bad as that was it helped to form me, it made me aggressive.”

Daniel Cormier’s story isn’t just about belts or rivalries. It’s about turning pain into fuel. From a scared kid in Louisiana, bullied and doubting himself, to a global star with gold around both shoulders, DC’s rise is proof that resilience wins.