PHOENIX – Daniel Cormier’s accolades continue to grow even after his retirement from MMA.
The former two-division UFC champion is set to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2022. The news of Cormier’s induction was announced during the broadcast of Saturday’s UFC 274, which Cormier was commentating.
Cormier got emotional during the video package used for the announcement and shed a few tears while Jon Anik and Joe Rogan congratulated him on the achievement. It was a very special moment for Cormier.
“I made it,” Cormier told reporters after UFC 274. “You win a UFC championship, it’s so difficult. I mean, people don’t even comprehend how hard it is to win a UFC championship, much less win a belt and defend a belt.
“Every guy in there (UFC Hall of Fame) is in there because they deserve it, so it’s truly a pleasure to sit along side these people, all these people I looked up to for so long. And every time, like I said, I’ll be called a UFC Hall of Famer. It means the world to me.”
Still not over this moment, @dc_mma #UFCHOF pic.twitter.com/ySp67WcBs8
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 8, 2022
Cormier retired in late 2020. He left the sport having won two UFC titles in different weight classes and four title defenses under his belt. Cormier joined the UFC in 2013 and competed under the promotion for seven years. During his tenure, he defeated such notables as Stipe Miocic, Anthony Johnson, Dan Henderson, Anderson Silva, and more. His feud with Jon Jones – in which he lost twice – is one of the most memorable in MMA history.
Cormier is proud of the legacy he built and hopes to be remembered for how he carried himself both in and out of the octagon.
“I fought hard,” Cormier said. “I was never the biggest. I was always the smallest, and I made due with what I had. I wrestled my ass off, and I fought with all the tools that I was blessed with – cardio and just hard work.
“There was never anything given. I never cheated. Obviously outside of the whole thing where people think I touched that towel, but people still believe that – which is so stupid. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, ‘I didn’t touch the towel.’ But outside of that, there were no drugs tied to my legacy. There were no questionable things I did outside of people unjustly accusing me of touching the towel.”
The 2022 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled to take place June 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Daniel Cormier: UFC Hall of Fame induction ‘means the world to me’
