After Double TUF Stint, Daniel Cormier Says Coaching Has ‘Sparked’ His Interest Again, Asks Fans to Suggest Team Names

Former double champ Daniel Cormier hopes to do more coaching after latest season of The Ultimate Fighter.

After Double TUF Stint, Daniel Cormier Says Coaching Has ‘Sparked’ His Interest Again, Asks Fans to Suggest Team Names

Daniel Cormier wants more coaching stints after The Ultimate Fighter (Source: X)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

The latest Team AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) vet to make the full-time switch into MMA coaching might be Daniel Cormier. The former two-weight champ and now PPV play-by-play commentator is fresh off another coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter 33.

The UFC Hall of Famer has not changed his mind about retiring from fighting in 2020 after losing a trilogy course to Stipe Miocic. However, ‘DC’ has a lot on his plate even after hanging up his gloves. Along with the play-by-play broadcaster role, Cormier and Chael Sonnen take care of their ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ Show on ESPN.

Following his coaching role in the most recent season of TUF, the San Jose native is seemingly looking to join Khabib Nurmagomedov on a similar venture.

Hey guys I have a question. The ultimate fighter has really sparked my coaching passion. I’ve started a fight team! On the team do I want my name associated with it or do I want it to be something stand alone from me? Like not have my logos associated with the team ?

Daniel Cormier via X

‘The Eagle’ is perhaps the greatest 155-pounder in UFC history, with victories over the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and Edson Barboza. Moreover, the Dagestani retired with a perfect 29-0 record and has only dropped a couple of rounds in his entire career. And as of late, Nurmagomedov has taken the role of a coach just like his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

The former lightweight champion has cornered friends and family, as well as Belal Muhammad (TKO win against Sean Brady; camp advice and training before UFC 304, last July). Cousins Umar and Usman, and former 155-pound champ Islam Makhachev, are his direct MMA understudies. The Nurmagomedov fighting dynasty touts a 91-1 pro-MMA record. Cormier, who is a close friend of the Dagestani clan, wants to go a similar route.

Moreover, Cormier has been the head coach of wrestling at Gilroy High School since 2018 in San Jose, California. His stint has been pretty successful as his students recently bagged five individual titles at the CIF State Championships.

Cormier’s coaching stint and the prospect of a new team have garnered some zingy ideas. DC/Cormier Fight Team, AC/DC (All Combat Daniel Cormier), and DC’s FC (Destruction Crew) are some top hits on fan forums.

The potential for several of Cormier’s former AKA teammates, including Luke Rockhold and Nurmagomedov, to play roles on his staff is high. But as of now, the details are slim. Apart from coaching, Cormier recently had quite a prediction for a hot topic.

Surprising prediction for the now-defunct fight between Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall shared by Daniel Cormier

Cormier’s longtime rival and biggest nemesis, ex-UFC HW Jon Jones, called it quits recently. He was supposedly in prolonged PPV compensatory negotiation for a unification bout with Tom Aspinall. However, ‘Bones’ opted to drop out of the matter, giving the reason that the Brit wasn’t a big enough name to make a dent or hang around for.

Daniel Cormier has a strong opinion on a heavyweight showdown
Daniel Cormier has a strong opinion on a heavyweight showdown (Source: X)

The consensus belief, though, was anything but that. Many fans opined that the younger and much faster Aspinall is Jones’ kryptonite, owing to his speed and knockout power. For the unversed, the Englishman has the shortest fight time inside the Octagon at 2 minutes and 2 seconds. Apart from this, the undisputed kingpin has only gone to the second round once, with all of his victories coming via finishes in the UFC.

This includes a first-round TKO over Curtis Blaydes last summer at UFC 304 and Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. Cormier himself believes that Jones has blemished his legacy by avoiding this fight and retiring instead. However, given that longevity and years of battle IQ, Cormier had quite an interesting take on the now-defunct showdown.

Gun to my head, I think Jon beats Tom, …I would have said he’ll probably beat him right now. Because, guess why? Tom has never been pushed into those championship rounds. Say Ciryl Gane pushes [him] 25 minutes. If he beats Ciryl Gane, but he learns to go 25 minutes where, …Tom hasn’t got off the stool for a third round. [Jones] needed to fight Tom now, when he doesn’t have that experience — especially as Jon Jones.

Daniel Cormier on the Pound 4 Pound podcast

Owing to their multi-faceted history, Daniel Cormier knows ‘Bones’ has gone the deep end multiple times. He has gone the distance in legendary bouts against Alexander Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira, and Dominick Reyes. And with Aspinall never going the complete 5 rounds, many have doubted the Brit’s gas tank.

However, Cormier also stated that the outcome of the fight would have been different if Aspinall had gained more five-round bout experience in the cage. It is expected that the undisputed heavyweight championship will be defended by Aspinall later this year when he returns to the Octagon.

Also Read: