In the 90s, top MMA fighters were accessible; as the sport grew, that became ever less the case. However, former champ champ Daniel Cormier, who may become arguably the UFC heavyweight G.O.A.T. tonight, enjoys the reputation for being authentically fan-friendly. The daddest man on the planet is by all reasonable accounts a good and decent person.
Some of that relates back to a moment at the 2004 Athens Olympics, when DC was a member of the U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team. Shaheen Al-Shatti recently profiled Cormier for The Athletic (subscription), and interviewed among others former Olympic gold medal wrestler Cael Sanderson, who shared a vignette from 16 years ago.
I remember before the 2004 Olympic Games, we were directly behind the basketball team,” shared Sanderson. “The [U.S.] men’s basketball team. And because of the security at the time, it took several hours to get through security. We’re waiting. And we were right behind them. And I remember Cormier, he went up and asked [an ultra-famous NBA player] for his autograph. And [ultra-famous NBA player] wouldn’t even acknowledge him. Wouldn’t look at him. I just remember that image of Cormier. He asked this guy to sign something for him – and the guy wouldn’t even acknowledge him.
I just thought it was really disrespectful. But I just think it shows you what kind of a person Daniel is. Now Daniel is a guy that everyone in the gym wants his autograph – and he’s still walking around freely. When he’s talking to somebody, he’s looking them in the eye. He’s showing them the respect. Even though that’s got to be exhausting for him and just a huge energy drain. Because, yeah, it’s one thing to go in there and wrestle and coach kids. That’s not the challenging and impressive part. It’s the putting up with that celebrity that he has to deal with that.
Cormier spoke recently with TSN’s Aaron Bronstetter, and recalled the inspiring snub.
“It was a letdown, said Cormier. I tried to make sure that, regardless of how I’m feeling, I try to give people a little piece of me, make their experience to meeting me a pleasant one. Because you don’t know what that does for a person, and you don’t know who that person is going to eventually turn out to be.
What if you meet the kid that’s gonna become the President some day? You don’t know. What if you meet a kid that’s just having a bad day or an adult that’s having a really bad day, and your interaction can uplift them? You just never know what people are going through. So I just try to make sure that when people come in contact with me, the experience is pleasant.
Cormier placed fourth at the 2004 Olympic Games. If you want to figure out who the redacted NBA player is, this is the US team that won gold in basketball:
•Carlos Boozer
•Tim Duncan
•Allen Iverson
•LeBron James
•Richard Jefferson
•Stephon Marbury
•Shawn Marion
•Lamar Odom
•Emeka Okafor
•Amar’e Stoudemire
•Dwyane Wade
h/t Simon Samano for MMA Junkie
