From Joe Bryant and Kobe Bryant to Cesare Maldini and Paolo Maldini, there have been many instances of a sport being dominated by a father-son duo across generations. Naturally, as athlete, you’d love to have a similar one day: To relive your glory days with your kids. Not always does the dream come true, though. However, it seems like Daniel Cormier just might be one of the lucky ones.
The former NCAA wrestler, turned MMA sensation, had great success during his time on the mat as well as inside the octagon. However, at the age of 46, Cormier is long past his fighting days, and instead leads the quaint life he so well deserves. But it seems like he till has a few more miles to cover before calling quits forever. With Daniel Cromier J. about to embark on the next chapter of his life, his wrestler dad might fall back to his own past experiences to help the former navigate to greatness.
Cormier recently made an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, hosted by WWE superstar Seth Rollins, where he the ex-UFC icon revealed how he’s planning to use his life experience to help his son. Recalling how he had an excellent coach to help him out after he made the US National Team at the bare age of 15, the 2011 NCAA silver medalist said having a guide to show you the way is crucial, and that’s exactly what he plans to do for his son, who is just two years away from being a high schooler.
“My son’s going to be in eighth grade next year. He goes to high school in two years. I want to be able to wrestle with him. I want to be able to do things with him to try to help him along the way with his journey,” Cormier can be heard telling Rollins in he YouTube upload from July 17. Further referring to how his Olympic days taught him some invaluable lessons, Cormier noted that he wants to impart with his son a few important learnings.
Credit – Instagram/Daniel Cormier
Recounting the days of being a member of the Olympic team, Daniel said that it reached him how to lock in on your goals and let nothing be able to distract you from. “So a lot of the things that made me great in real life aren’t the best qualities. You got to be selfish, unbelievably selfish because you got to prioritize those goals to in order to reach them. And you got to have this undying belief in self and the willingness to work to go accomplish all those goals that you believe are out there, right? So, uh, I had to be selfish at times,” Cormier said.
Cormier narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, when he succumbed to Khadzhimurat Gatsalov in the semifinals of the 96kg weight class. But as they say, failures are only learning moments. The 6x US World and Olympic team member indeed picked up a number of important notes along the way, and his son will only benefit from those.
But it’s not like Cormier has waited all this time for his son to avail his expertise. Instead, he’s always done everything in his power to help others get better.
Daniel Cromier already has quite the resume being a mentor of sorts
Being an OSU alum, Cormier obviously still holds a special place in his heart for Stillwater. Back in March, when the Cowboys’ seventh-seed Troy Spratley pulled off an incredible upset victory over Purdue’s Matt Ramos at the 2025 NCAA D1 Championship, Daniel was right there in the backstage congratulating his successor. The Olympian’s pride could hardly be missed. But that is just the tip of the iceberg of the vehement supporter of rising stars that is Daniel Cormier.
Credit – Instagram/ESPN MMA
After Jordan Burroughs faced criticism for his actions against Mitchell Mesenbrink at the 2024 Olympics Team Trials, the 6x World champ was subjected to immense flak from the fans for his alleged lackluster performance. However, Cormier knew such things are part of the game, and didn’t hesitate to show up behind his brethren with vocal support for Burroughs.
But maybe it was also because Cormier already had a working relationship with Jordan. The two can often be spotted at the All I See Is Gold Academy, where they help rising wrestlers understand the tricks of the trade. But will that tutor also step up in the same way for his son when the time arrives? What do you reckon?
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