How an autograph snub by an NBA star helped Daniel Cormier deal with future fame

When it comes to fighting, former UFC dual champion Daniel Cormier is unquestionably one of the all-time greatest to ever do it, but it’s how he’s carried himself throughout his career that makes him special.

What can you say about DC other than … he’s just a good guy.

That’s as cliche as it gets, but it’s true. It’s why Max Holloway calls Cormier “the daddest man on the planet.” He’s a father who, by all accounts, is a good man who just so happens to be great at fighting.

If you know somebody (other than Jon Jones) who actually hates DC? I’d love to hear it.

As UFC 252 and his heavyweight title trilogy with Stipe Miocic draws near, there’s a lot of reflection on Cormier and how, at 41, he’s reached this point. One of the best anecdotes of this week came courtesy of The Athletic’s Shaheen Al-Shatti, who got this gem from former Olympic gold medal wrestler Cael Sanderson, which highlights the kind of person DC is:

“For him to put himself in a position where so many people have access to him, that says a lot about him, right? I remember before the 2004 Olympic Games, we were directly behind the basketball team. 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 the his autograph. And (the 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 never has forgotten this moment, and it seems to have played a role in how he would eventually deal with being famous. Cormier was asked about this memory during an interview with TSN’s Aaron Bronstetter and gave an answer that sums up the class with which DC has always carried himself.

“It was bad, right? It was a letdown,” Cormier said of the autograph snub by the NBA star, whom he refused to name. “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 you’re 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.”

I wonder if that ultra-famous NBA player remembers the time he snubbed a future UFC champ-champ and what he thinks of it now.

UFC 252 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.