Daniel
Cormier will be enshrined in another Hall of Fame in the very
near future.
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The former UFC two-division champion will be inducted into the
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024, it was
recently announced. Cormier, a native of Lafayette, Louisiana,
joins notables such as ex-New Orleans Saints star quarterback Drew
Brees and Olympic gold medalist and UFC veteran Kevin
Jackson in the nine-person class. The inductees were chosen out
of 149 nominees by a 40-member Louisiana Sports Writers Association
committee. The date for the ceremony will be announced soon.
Cormier and Jackson are the first amateur wrestlers to be inducted
in to the LSHOF. Jackson also coached Cormier for Team USA in the
2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
“DC” made his name on the mats at Lafayette’s Northside High
School, where he compiled a 101-9 record and won three straight
state titles. He went on to earn All-American honors at Oklahoma
State University, and in addition to being a member of the U.S.
Olympic wrestling team, won six consecutive gold medals in
freestyle wrestling at the USA Wrestling championships from
2003-2008 and gold at the Pan Am Games in 2003.
Cormier’s exploits in mixed martial arts ultimately resulted in his
enshrinement in the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022. Anchored at American
Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, Cormier won the
Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix before transitioning to the UFC,
where he became just the second simultaneous two-division champion
in promotion history. His 22-3 record includes wins over the likes
of Stipe
Miocic, Anthony
Johnson, Anderson
Silva, Alexander
Gustafsson, Derrick
Lewis, Dan
Henderson, Roy Nelson,
Frank
Mir and Josh
Barnett.
Cormier currently serves as a combat sports analyst for ESPN and
also works as a commentator for UFC events.