Daniel Cormier made the move from freestyle wrestling to mixed martial arts following his weight cut issues in the buildup to the Beijing Olympics. These troubles ensured that ‘DC‘ could not try to improve on his fourth-place from Athens in 2004. 

He transitioned to professional fighting and competed at heavyweight at KOTC, XMMA, and Strikeforce. Here, Cormier exhibited his pedigree by remaining unconquered and claimed the belt in each promotion. 

When he moved to the UFC, he overcame Frank Mir and beat Roy Nelson at the highest weight class in the division. 

Read: THROWBACK: Daniel Cormier Debuts Against a Dangerous Frank Mir

Given his wins, it seemed inevitable that he would be matched up against fellow AKA teammate and divisional champion, Cain Velasquez. Cormier did not want to fight his friend, and the MMA world believes it to be the sole reason he dropped a weight class. 

However, the fighter had another reason for deciding to cut weight again. He said, “I don’t want to fight Cain, but I also want to start living life a little healthier, I’ve got kids now.”

He also claimed that it was something the fans wanted for a while. Cormier said, “A lot of fans have asked me to go down to 205, they’ve been asking me since I started fighting. So now I’m doing it, but I’m starting to put the earnest on them, I want them to do it with me.”

At the time, in 2013, Velasquez was to defend his belt against Junior dos Santos. Cormier allayed queries regarding his move to light heavyweight depended on the outcome of the titanic clash. He said, “I’m confident (dos Santos) won’t win that fight and, as I said, it doesn’t matter.” 

The then 34-year-old fighter reiterated, “I want to try to live healthier for my kids and for my family. I want to live a longer life, a healthier life, so I’m going to go down regardless.”

Daniel Cormier thrives at light heavyweight 

Cormier made the move to light heavyweight and won his first two fights in the division. He had four UFC wins and turned out to be the lucky party when Alexander Gustafsson pulled out of his match against Jon Jones. 

However, ‘DC’ suffered his maiden professional setback at light heavyweight when he lost to ‘Bones’ at UFC 182. But the move paid dividends as he claimed a title in a fourth promotion. The opportunity arose as the UFC stripped Jon Jones of the belt for his legal troubles. 

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Cormier beat Anthony Johnson to claim the vacant title and defended it twice. In his first defense, ‘DC’ earned a split decision victory and termed the match as the toughest in his career. Later, he beat Johnson and retained the title in the same way as he claimed it. 

Read: “He Took Me to Places I Have Never Been”- Daniel Cormier Reveals Toughest Opponent in His Career

By making the move, Cormier ensured he became a champion and did not have to take on his buddy. However, following UFC 220, the company booked ‘DC’  to return to heavyweight and fight the champion Stipe Miocic. 

The Ohio fighter was out of top tier opponents after dismissing the threat of Francis Ngannou. At the same event, ‘DC’ made his third successful defense when he beat Volkan Oezdemir. 

Once ‘DC’ made the move back up to heavyweight, he remained there and claimed the divisional title in a fourth different promotion. 

Read: WATCH: When Daniel Cormier Etched His Name in UFC History

He relinquished the light heavyweight belt in December after claiming another piece of UFC history. 

When Daniel Cormier defended his belt against Derrick Lewis, he still reigned at light heavyweight. As a result, he became the first UFC fighter to defend a belt while holding the championship in another division. 

The Cormier vs Velasquez fight will join the list of ‘fantasy matches to never take place.’ However, his unwillingness to compete against a friend opened the door to unprecedented dominance. In retrospect, ‘DC’ will have no regrets about not having a longer career at his natural weight. 

However, the decision still creates debates among fans. Did you support Daniel Cormier’s decision of not competing at heavyweight from 2014 to 2017?