Daniel Cormier: 5 Defining Moments

Looking back on the life of reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder Daniel Cormier, it almost seems as if he was destined for mixed martial arts superstardom.

Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, on March 20, 1979, Cormier enjoyed a stellar career as a prep wrestler at Northside High School, where he was a three-time state champion. “DC” then moved on to Colby Community College in Kansas -- he went 61-0 and won back-to-back national championships -- before landing at Oklahoma State University. Cormier earned All-America status with the Cowboys, reached a national final and later qualified for two Olympic teams: He placed fourth in 2004 and captained the United States squad at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. The Louisianan put down roots with the American Kickboxing Academy outfit and made the transition to MMA under the Strikeforce banner in 2009. Cormier won his first 15 fights, capturing titles in the King of the Cage and Xtreme MMA promotions before linking arms with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and laying claim to the light heavyweight throne in 2015. He will defend his title in a rematch with Anthony Johnson in the UFC 210 headliner on Saturday at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York (current odds).

In a career filled with defining moments, here are five that stand out:

1. Grand Slam

Cuts under both eyes and across the bridge of Josh Barnett’s nose told a tale of domination in the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix final. Cormier smashed the former UFC champion with punches to the head and body, mixed in kicks and takedowns and shut down Barnett’s submission game en route to a one-sided unanimous decision in the Strikeforce “Barnett vs. Cormier” headliner on May 19, 2012 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. All three judges ruled in Cormier’s favor: 49-46, 50-45 and 50-45. Cormier darted in and out of range and landed the fight’s most telling blows, including a wicked head kick in the third round. That frame also saw the two-time Olympian deliver a head-over-heels slam on the 6-foot-3, 248-pound Barnett. The Pride Fighting Championships veteran found no refuge on the ground, where Cormier met him with short, sharp elbows. However, it was the American Kickboxing Academy standout’s improved standup game that carried him, as he ripped into Barnett with hooks, uppercuts, kicks and knees. His face a bloody mess, Barnett saw his best chance at victory come and go in the fourth round, where he threatened his unbeaten opponent with a kneebar. After a brief struggle, Cormier freed himself, settled back in Barnett’s guard and resumed his onslaught. The defeat was Barnett’s first in more than five years, halted a streak of eight consecutive wins and put “DC” on the map.

2. First Impressions

Cormier made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut on April 20, 2013 and executed his game plan to perfection in the UFC on Fox 7 co-headliner, as he trapped former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in a relentless series of energy-sapping clinches and scored a one-sided unanimous decision before 13,506 fans at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Cormier. Mir could not avoid the clinch against the two-time Olympian. Cormier pinned him along the fence over and over again, scoring with knees to the body and elbows and punches to the head. Mir delivered a handful of kicks to the body but failed to control distance and wandered aimlessly into close quarters. Afterward, Cormier, an undersized 5-foot-11 heavyweight with a prohibitive 72-inch reach, fixed his gaze on the 205-pound weight class.

3. Legendary Rout

“DC” staked his claim as the No. 1 contender in the light heavyweight division at the expense of an all-time great. Cormier rendered former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Dan Henderson unconscious with a third-round rear-naked choke, as he turned their UFC 173 co-main event into Sherdog.com’s 2015 “Beatdown of the Year” on May 24, 2014 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Henderson passed out 3:53 into Round 3. Cormier outclassed “Hendo” in every aspect of the game, draining his gas tank with a relentless top game. He struck for takedowns and moved to full mount in all three rounds. Henderson’s fabled right hand was never in play. Late in Round 3, Cormier transitioned to the Team Quest founder’s back, cinched the choke and forced him to a belly-down position. Soon after, Henderson went limp. Cormier used the opportunity to once again put UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in his crosshairs.

4. Not Good Enough

Defeat proved to be a bitter pill for Cormier to swallow. Diverse standup, statement-making takedowns and a grinding clinch game spurred Jones to a unanimous decision over “DC” in their long-awaited showdown, as he retained the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight crown in the UFC 182 headliner on Jan. 3, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges arrived at the same verdict: 49-46 for Jones, who registered his 12th consecutive victory. Cormier was effective in spurts but gradually wore down. The American Kickboxing Academy export did his best work near the end of the first round and into the second, as he attacked Jones with potent dirty boxing in close quarters. Right uppercuts connected often but failed to deter the champion. Jones responded with standing elbows, knees and a variety of kicks to the head, body and legs. The complexion of what had been a competitive fight changed in the fourth round, where Jones executed a pair of double-leg takedowns and seemed to suck the life right out of his opponent. Cormier landed a takedown of his own in Round 5 but never put himself in position to author the stoppage he needed. Jones cruised to the finish line, his eighth title defense a resounding success. Cormier has chased a rematch with “Bones” ever since, only to have Jones’ well-publicized out-of-competition troubles keep them apart.

5. Summit Reached

Moments after he became the 12th light heavyweight titleholder in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, Cormier sent a message to the man he replaced on the throne: “Jon Jones , get your s--- together. I’m waiting for you.” Cormier -- who replaced the suspended and deposed Jones on short notice -- submitted “Rumble” Johnson with a third-round rear-naked choke, as he captured the vacant light heavyweight championship in the UFC 187 main event on May 23, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Johnson conceded defeat 2:39 into Round 3. “Rumble” had his moments. He floored Cormier with a searing right hand in the first round and clobbered him with multiple head kicks, but the American Kickboxing Academy rep walked through his best shots. “DC” took control with a dominant Round 2, as he grounded Johnson and tore into him with punches and elbows from the top. Battered and bloodied, the Blackzilians standout returned to his corner a shell of his former self. Cormier offered him no respite in the third round, as he again drove Johnson to the canvas, slid to his back and set the choke for the tapout. In Jones’ absence, he had reached the light heavyweight summit.