Daniel Cormier has shared his thoughts on missing out on one major payout during his time as an active member of the UFC roster.
Cormier had success in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. He captured championship gold in both weight classes. After knocking out Stipe Miocic in their first meeting, Cormier had a staredown with Lesnar that ended in a shove from “The Beast.”
While the incident inside the Octagon sparked interest in Cormier vs. Lesnar, the fight never happened before “DC” walked away from pro MMA competition. During an appearance on “Club Shay Shay,” Cormier looked back on not getting a massive payday to share the Octagon with Lesnar (h/t MMAJunkie).
“The WWE got him. The WWE took him back,” Cormier of Lesnar on “Club Shay Shay.” “That was my golden goose, man. We had that moment in the ring. I pushed him, he pushed me. WWE paid him back. They they were paying Brock like $6 (million) to $7 million a year. Maybe $10 (million). You’re telling me, ‘Brock, you can go fight DC and lose, or you can come back (to WWE).’ … It was one of the safest fights I could’ve had. It’s just the truth.
“I like Brock, too. He’s a great guy. But I watched what Cain (Velasquez) did to him. I watched how he would react to getting punched, and I was going to punch him. He would have to take me down to win the fight, and I can wrestle. If he shoots on me, I’m going to make it so hard for him to get that takedown that by the time he gets it, he’s exhausted. Now I’m up to my feet, then you’re done. That’s what happened with Cain. He took Cain down. Cain got up, started kneeing him in his face. I saw Brock recently, he still has that scar under his eye from when Cain kneed him in the face. Yup: Still got that big scar under his eye.”
Lesnar is done with MMA and he recently made his return to WWE. Cormier is enjoying life outside of fighting, as he currently serves as a color commentator for UFC events and collegiate wrestling shows on ESPN.