Daniel Cormier channeled his best Mr. Perfect impersonation Thursday, taking to his Instagram account and shooting a basketball up and over his head for the no-look bucket just like the late WWE Superstar once did.
"I’m so bored. Why not master basketball?" Cormier wrote.
Hopefully Cormier's Friday is going a little bit better, as the Lafayette, La., native turns 41 today.
Prior to COVID-19 becoming a global pandemic, Cormier was hyped, as it appeared that the former Double Champ was closing in on cementing a trilogy fight with UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. For now, DC will have to wait in trying to cement that clash. Until then, we celebrate Cormier's birthday by looking back on his best five moments in the octagon.
DC becomes Double Champ, July 7, 2018
Cormier punched his way into UFC history — literally — by producing a first-round KO (punches) of Miocic at UFC 226 in Las Vegas, as he added the UFC heavyweight title to his light heavyweight strap. The moment further solidified Cormier's place as one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters to ever throw hands and feet in the octagon.
Miocic would exact revenge via a fourth-round TKO (punches) of Cormier to regain the title in August, paving the way for what could be an explosive third fight.
Cormier pummels Volkan Oezdemir, Jan. 20, 2018
Cormier had to weather the storm in a blitz of offense from the then-undefeated challenger. And DC did just that during the first round, before turning the tide on Oezdemir dramatically in the second. That's when Cormier calmly took Oezdemir down, gained full mount and trapped him in the crucifix position, where he proceeded to pummel the Swiss fighter with way too many compact, but heavy punches that bounced off his opponent's head. Seconds later, the ref stepped in to stop the bout and award DC with yet another successful light heavyweight title defense.
Cormier grinds out victory over "The Spider", July 9, 2016
Cormier played to his strengths and wrestled Anderson Silva to death, taking him down and mixing in some hard, stinging shots for good measure. While the bout might have lacked the kind of fireworks fans desired at UFC 200 in Las Vegas, Cormier did what he had to do to get the 'W' and defeat the MMA legend rather soundly.
DC begins light heavyweight championship reign, May 23, 2015
Having lost to Jon Jones four months prior, Cormier vied for the title against Anthony Johnson after Jones was suspended by the UFC. (Jones was arrested and charged with a felony for leaving the scene of an accident in Albuquerque, N.M.) Jones vacated the belt, which Cormier and Johnson competed for.
Johnson more than lived up to his "Rumble" nickname, dropping Cormier with some absolute bombs via that right hand. But DC absorbed the punishment and showed plenty of technical guile by eventually working his way to cinch in a rear-naked choke to submit Johnson in the third round and wrap the light heavyweight title around his waist. He'd go on to defeat Johnson via the same maneuver roughly two years later, prompting "Rumble" to retire at the time.
Cormier takes first pro loss against Jon Jones, Jan. 3, 2015
There's no shame losing to Jon Jones. Cormier did so twice, although the rematch was later overturned due to Jones's use of a performance-enhancing substance. Still, although Jones used his otherworldly reach and masterful MMA skills to get a unanimous decision over Cormier in their first meeting, DC walked out of the octagon with a healthy boost in the star power department. Plus, the experience he gained in that loss was applied to his future fights to make DC that much more of an MMA force. That, and Cormier can always hang his hat on the fact that although he wasn't able to solve Jones' complex puzzle, nobody else has been able to, either.