Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight titleholder, Daniel Cormier, was a decorated amateur wrestler prior to entering the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), with accolades that stretched from the collegiate level to the Summer Olympics.
So why is “DC” getting inducted into George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame?
Because the George Tragos Award recognizes wrestlers who move on to excel in MMA, and you probably can’t do much better than Cormier, 40, who also held gold in the light heavyweight class and is considered by UFC President Dana White to be the greatest fighter of all time.
“You know you’re getting old when you start making your way into Hall of Fames,” Cormier wrote on Twitter. “What an honor to be getting inducted into the Tragos/Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. I’m truly honored to receive this award.”
Cormier (21-1, 1 NC) isn’t the first UFC fighter to receive the honor. Bellator MMA headliner Chael Sonnen, who rose to fame inside the Octagon against the likes of Anderson Silva and Jon Jones, among others, was inducted in 2016.
Welterweight Ben Askren joined the Hall just last year.
We don’t yet know how the story ends for Cormier. He’s expected to rematch Stipe Miocic at UFC 241 in August, then may or may not have one fight left in his storied MMA career before calling it quits.
I guess that all depends on the less strong, less powerful Jon Jones.