Daniel Cormier is an American mixed martial artist, former Olympic wrestler, and sports writer, born on March 20, 1979, in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States. Cormier was raised in a working class household and lost his dad when he was seven. Despite these setbacks, Cormier turned to wrestling for discipline and solace – the sport to which would be the foundation of his future success. His natural talent and work ethic made him stand out in high school and in university where he won most collegiate wrestling titles.
Career Beginnings and Accomplishments
Daniel Cormier began his athletic career in wrestling, where he excelled at both the collegiate and international levels. Cormier was formerly a two-time NBA Division I All-American at Oklahoma State University and was also a wrestling representative of the United States in freestyle at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. He did not win any medal at the Olympics but his achievements in wrestling earned him respect in combat sports.
Cormier ventured into mixed martial arts in 2009, and established himself as a tough fighter. He made his professional debut on Strikeforce and went undefeated to win the Strikeforce Heavy weight Grand Prix in 2012. His success in Strikeforce attracted the ire of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2013.
Cormier had a legendary UFC career. He was one of the organization’s most dominant heavyweight and light heavyweight fighters. Cormier defended the UFC Light Heavy Weight Championship in 2015. In 2018 he turned out to be just the 2nd UFC martial artist to win titles in both weight classes – defeating Stipe Mimcic for the UFC Heavyweight Title.
Cormier has fought many notable fighters such as Jon Jones, Alexander Gustsson, and Miocic throughout his career. His rivalry with Jon Jones is among the most viewed in UFC history. Cormier has also been a successful UFC commentator and analyst besides fighting.
Daniel Cormier’s Net Worth
As of 2024, Daniel Cormier is estimated to be worth around $10 million. His wealth stems from his MMA career, commentating work, endorsements, and other ventures.
Some of the factors that helped in growing his wealth include:
Fight Purses and Bonuses
The bulk of Cormier’s wealth comes from his battle purses and performance bonuses with the UFC. Cormier was one of the organization’s highest-paid fighters as a two-division champion, earning huge payouts for his headline bouts.
Pay-Per-View Revenue
Cormier earned a cut of the revenue from his fights – particularly the ones against Jon Jones and Stevie Miocic. These fights were among the most-watched in UFC’s history.
Commentary and Broadcasting
Cormier retired from active competition to become a UFC commentator and analyst. He’s made a decent living doing work on UCF and ESPN broadcasts.
Endorsements
Cormier has signed endorsement deals with brands like Reebok and Monkey Energy. All of these endorsements add to his financial portfolio.
Coaching and Training
Cormier also has made money coaching and training fighters at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), where the future champions and rising MMA stars were trained by him.
In Summary
Daniel Cormier built his net worth from his career in fighting, commentating, and coaching. Cormier has shown his talent, determination, and dedication to mixed martial arts from his days as an Olympic wrestle, to his two-division United Fight Championship. His financial success stems from his octagonal record, his work as a TV commentator, and his business dealings outside of fighting.
