Top MMA fighters of the decade, 2010-2019: Daniel Cormier ranked No. 3

The 2010s, arguably the most important decade in the history of mixed martial arts, is coming to a close. One reason why the past 10 years have been so pivotal to the sport is the sheer talent that exists across all divisions – men and women, from flyweight (which didn’t even exist until February 2012) to heavyweight. Simply put, the number of great fighters to grace cages and rings across the world never has been higher.

Here at MMA Junkie, we’ve put together a staff-wide, composite ranking of the top 10 fighters of the past decade, which we’ll reveal Monday-Friday until Dec. 27. Today, we reflect on No. 3: Daniel Cormier.

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Daniel Cormier had a meaningful impact on two weight classes over the past 10 years. He might not go down as the best ever in either division, but when combining his overall efforts, it’s obvious he belongs high in the discussion of all-time greats.

When the decade began, Cormier was still somewhat lost. His pursuit of Olympic wrestling greatness was cut short in 2008 when kidney failure stemming from an extreme weight cut prematurely ended his dreams. It effectively spelled the end of his amateur wrestling career, too, but when one door closed, another opened.

Cormier was already five months removed from his 30th birthday when he made his MMA debut. That’s well beyond the starting point for most, especially those who make it to the highest level of the sport. Still, though, it didn’t stop him from being tremendously successful.

With the exception of his first professional fight in September 2009, Cormier’s MMA run to this point has come after the turn of the decade. He won the King of the Cage heavyweight belt in just his fourth bout, and while he was seemingly rotund for his 5-foot-11 frame, it was evident he possessed all the talent and tenacity to thrive.

After building up more experience in regional promotions, as well as the now-defunct Strikeforce organization, Cormier’s first big break came in September 2011. He was inserted into the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix semifinals as an alternate, fighting the fearsome Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, who was fresh off a memorable thrashing of Fedor Emelianenko.

It was only Cormier’s 10th fight, and many believed it to be too much, too soon. Not Cormier, though. He knocked out Silva in less than four minutes to advance to the tournament final, where he would meet Josh Barnett.

At the time, Barnett, the former UFC heavyweight champion, had gone six years unbeaten and nearly four times the number of fights. Cormier didn’t care, as he controlled Barnett for much of five rounds to win a convincing decision and the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix title, opening the eyes of many that he was a unique entity.

The UFC’s purchase of Strikeforce would see Cormier make his octagon debut just two fights later in April 2013. He beat former champ Frank Mir in his promotional debut at UFC on FOX 7, then would handle divisional mainstay Roy Nelson in his sophomore effort at UFC 166.

Despite racking up a 13-0 record at heavyweight, Cormier would switch weight classes after beating Nelson, mainly because his good friend and longtime teammate, Cain Velasquez, held the UFC heavyweight title, and they refused to fight.

But it was also because of Jon Jones’ dominance over the light heavyweight division. Some serious bad blood had formed between Cormier and Jones, stemming from their first interaction at UFC 121 in October 2010. And after picking up two wins following his drop to 205 pounds, Cormier got a championship showdown with “Bones” at UFC 182 in January 2015.

After one of the most personal build-ups in UFC history, Jones would hand Cormier his first career loss by unanimous decision. It was Cormier’s initial encounter with defeat after more than five years of fighting, and while emotional, he didn’t let it define him.

Cormier would get the UFC light heavyweight title in his very next fight. Jones’ infamous hit-and-run case in 2015 caused him to be stripped of UFC gold, making way for Cormier to beat up and choke out Anthony Johnson at UFC 187 in May 2015.

The fact Cormier didn’t take the title directly off Jones put something of an asterisk around his reign, but that’s not his fault. He defended against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192 (and landed the most significant strikes in light heavyweight title-fight history), then was booked to rematch Jones at UFC 200 in July 2016.

A failed Jones drug test result that came in during fight week derailed plans for the rematch, though, and Cormier would go on to beat Anderson Silva, who stepped in on two days’ notice at the milestone event.

Cormier then defended his title against “Rumble” Johnson in a rematch at UFC 206, finally setting the stage for him to face Jones a second time in one of the biggest fights in UFC history. Jones stopped Cormier by third-round knockout, but the result was overturned to a no contest within weeks when another drug test mishap disqualified Jones from competition yet again.

The ensuing fights is where Cormier truly cemented his legacy. He defended the light heavyweight title that was handed back after Jones’ suspension when he beat Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 in January 2018, then a historic opportunity came along.

With Velasquez removed from the heavyweight title scene, Cormier returned to the division where he started his career with the chance to obtain a second belt. He moved up and challenged Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 in July 2018, scoring a first-round knockout to join Conor McGregor as the only fighters in UFC history to hold multiple belts simultaneously.

Although Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo followed in attaining “champ-champ” status, Cormier set himself apart from those two and McGregor with his next move. With multiple 205-pound title defenses already on his resume, Cormier managed to successfully defend his heavyweight belt against Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 in November 2018.

That victory over “The Black Beast” made Cormier the only fighter in not just the UFC – but any major organization – to defend belts in multiple divisions. That boosted his legacy overboard in terms of the greatest of his era.

Unfortunately the decade closed on a low note for Cormier. He would lose the heavyweight belt back to Miocic in a rematch at UFC 241, succumbing to a fourth-round knockout after controlling the action up to that point.

Losing to Miocic – who is arguably the greatest heavyweight ever – doesn’t take away from Cormier’s legacy, though. Just the same as the defeat to Jones doesn’t, either.

Cormier’s body of work outside of those losses was nothing short of immaculate and one-sided, and that’s to make no mention of his importance to the sport outside of the octagon.

There was certainly some ungraceful moments for Cormier, from his press conference brawl with Jones inside the lobby go the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to the many unsavory things the rivals said to each other over the years. Outside of that, though, Cormier has been the perfect ambassador for the sport, molding himself as the opposite of the “stereotype” MMA fighter and leaving a trail of selfless actions too long to detail.

He’s also educating the next generation of fight fans week after week. Cormier is one of the best commentators and fight analysts in the game, and once he retires following his trilogy bout with Miocic in 2020, he will continue to teach the world why this sport is so special.

There are many layers to Cormier’s legacy, but it holds up with anyone in the sport’s history. When distinguishing the elite of the past decade alone, though? He easily deserves his No. 3 spot among MMA Junkie’s top fighters of the decade.