Daniel Cormier, a former Oklahoma State wrestler and UFC standout, was recently inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024. Throughout his impressive career, Cormier had success in both freestyle wrestling and mixed martial arts.
In college, Cormier was a key member of the Oklahoma State wrestling team from 2000 to 2001. He had an impressive record of 52-10 with 36 bonus-point wins and qualified for the NCAA Championships twice. In his final year, he became an All-American and was the national runner-up at 184 pounds. Additionally, Oklahoma State won Big 12 team titles in both of Cormier’s seasons.
After college, Cormier continued his success on the freestyle wrestling circuit, representing the United States at the World level from 2003 to 2008. He was a two-time Olympic qualifier and won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2007. Prior to his college career, he was a three-time state champion in high school and won two NJCAA titles at Colby Community College.
In 2009, Cormier transitioned to mixed martial arts and had a successful career in Strikeforce before moving on to the UFC. He became the King of the Cage heavyweight champion and won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2012. In the UFC, he made history by holding two divisional titles simultaneously and having title defenses in two divisions. He retired with a record of 22-3 and is ranked third all-time in light heavyweight wins and tied for tenth in heavyweight wins.
Currently working as a combat sports analyst for ESPN and inducted into various halls of fame such as UFC Hall of Fame, National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame, Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame among others; The Class included eight other inductees including Olympic wrestler Kevin Jackson and former NFL quarterback Drew Brees.[