Daniel Cormier Gets Emotional as He Explains How Great Fighters Lose Their Shine

Daniel Cormier is one of the most accomplished fighters inside and outside the octagon. The former two-division world champion is also an Olympic wrestler who represented his country at the 2004 Olympic Games and finished fourth. Most recently, he lost his trilogy fight against Stipe Miocic and hung up his gloves.

In most sports, as the athletes get older, they lose the abilities they had in their younger days. However, they convince themselves that they still have it in them and continue with the sport. This leads to a disappointing end to their career with a lot of slumps towards the end. Very seldom do athletes retire at the top of their game with the world at their feet. It is a luxury very few have experienced. 

Daniel Cormier speaks on the mentality of a fighter 

The past weekend Carlos Condit secured a win over Court McGee. It was his first win in 5 years after a string of 5 consecutive losses. The 38-year-old is arguably past his prime but continues to fight in the UFC against the very best. 

Daniel was asked to share his thoughts on what he made of Condit’s performance. He said, “Carlos Condit still feels like he can compete. It’s all he knows, right? It’s what he does. He goes out and fights Court McGee the way he did. He looked really good man. His combinations looked crisp. When you look at Carlos Condit, and you might be squinting a little bit. You see, the guy that knocked out Dan Hardy.” 

Cormier continued, “You see the guy that kicked GSP in the head. You can still see flashes of that guy. But the reality is, we as fighters as we get older, all we’re doing is squinting. Because when we watch ourselves, we still see that guy. When in reality, to the rest of us, that guy is not there anymore.

“So, when Carlos looks at himself in there, especially with his hands raised, it’s a throwback to all the years before. It’s that feeling you never get tired of. You never get tired of that feeling.”

Does Daniel make a good point here about fighters fighting past their prime? And does this apply to ‘The Natural Born Killer?’