Daniel Cormier is one of the most formidable fighters in the UFC. He has gone up against the likes of Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, and has even called out former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. This is the type of personality one expects from ‘DC’, as he exudes confidence while manhandling opponents in the Octagon. However, on ESPN’s “DC and Helwani” he shockingly reveals how he was bullied as a child. 

Daniel Cormier talks about an emotional childhood

“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.”

“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.” 

‘DC’ revealed ‘Mawn’ never outgrew the habit and shared, “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.”

‘DC’ has competed amongst some of the biggest fighters on the planet. Yet according to him, “Mawn still believes he can beat me up.”

The top-ranked Heavyweight’s voice took on an amused tone by the end, something which the audience caught on to. ‘DC‘, however, credits those days for what he has become today. 

“For as bad as that was it helped to form me, it made me aggressive. If I felt someone was coming at me I go towards them. It’s something I developed as a defense mechanism. All those experiences shaped me to be who I am.”

What do you think after reading Cormier’s story?