Injured No. 1 contender Daniel Cormier ends wrestling career with win at UFC Fan Expo
Daniel Cormier is now officially retired as a wrestler.
The two-time junior college national champion and NCAA runner-up placed fourth for the United States in the 2004 Olympics but despite being the team's captain in 2008, had his wrestling career unceremoniously ended prior to the event due to kidney failure.
From there, he entered the world of mixed martial arts, but had never truly closed out his graps days.
He remedied that on Saturday at UFC Fan Expo, defeating three-time All-American Chris Pendleton 12-5.
"I didn’t get to wrestle in the Olympics, I didn’t get to do my last match, so I wanted to finish my career on mat, rather than in the hospital," Cormier told MMAFighting.com. "I wanted to end it on the mat."
Cormier is the No. 1 contender for the UFC light heavyweight title but has opted to undergo a knee procedure while champion Jon Jones faces off with Alexander Gustafsson for a second time at UFC 178. Some thought Cormier - 15-0 with four consecutive wins in the octagon - was the most deserving of a shot, but he'll instead wait on the winner of that fight.
He didn't back off his earlier prediction that it will be Jones he's squaring off with, either.
"My next fight, the next time I get my hand raised, it will be in the cage against Jon Jones," he said.