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Club Shay Shay

Club Shay Shay - Daniel Cormier Part 1

Club Shay Shay

iHeartPodcasts and Shay Shay Media

Sports, News, Sports News, Football, Basketball

4.8 • 6.9K Ratings

🗓️ 20 August 2025

⏱️ 71 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier sits down with Shannon Sharpe at Club Shay Shay for an unfiltered conversation about his legendary journey — from Lafayette, Louisiana to becoming one of the greatest fighters to ever step in the octagon. DC reflects on his humble beginnings, being bullied as a kid, arrested for street fighting in college, and even trying and failing at selling fake crack before finding his path through wrestling. He explains how his wrestling background shaped his fighting style, why his 5’10” height gave him an advantage grappling, and how his first love of boxing through Wide World of Sports laid the foundation for his combat career. Despite not going to school for media, he became one of the most respected voices in sports, proving fans want authenticity and lived experience. Cormier opens up about starting MMA at 30, fighting into his 40s because the money was too good, and joining the UFC without ever throwing a punch. He talks about cutting massive amounts of weight — even avoiding Thanksgiving seasoning to drop from 255 to 205 in just weeks — and why so many fighters struggle with drugs after retirement, chasing the high of walking through an electric UFC crowd. He even shares the secret of sleeping before fights, baffling his coaches and teammates. DC relives his iconic rivalry with Jon Jones, from brawling at their first press conference to being knocked out for the first time in his life. He recalls not remembering anything from the knockout to the ambulance ride, and Dana White sending him $1 million afterward. He details how Jones set him up with body kicks before the head-kick KO, why Jones is the most talented fighter ever but not the GOAT because of steroids, and why finding out about Jones’ failed tests felt like losing his first girlfriend. He says Jones wouldn’t beat him at heavyweight, wonders why he won’t fight Tom Aspinall, and insists Jon should fight at the White House so an American can actually win. Cormier doesn’t hold back on today’s stars: praising Tom Aspinall, calling Derrick Lewis the “Knockout King,” and saying Francis Ngannou looks like the perfect heavyweight champion. He recalls Cyril Gane being starstruck in the ring with Jon Jones, predicts Jake Paul’s boxing ceiling, and weighs in on matchups like Jake Paul vs. Canelo Alvarez, Anthony Joshua, and Mike Tyson. He even explains why boxers can’t beat MMA fighters in a street fight. On his personal Mount Rushmore, DC picks Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Chuck Liddell, and Randy Couture — leaving off Anderson Silva and Jon Jones because of steroids. He shares why Khabib is the greatest fighter ever, how their friendship formed, and why Dagestan fighters like Khabib and Islam Makhachev are so dominant. He recalls Khabib turning down $40 million to fight again, explains why Conor McGregor’s money ruined his career, and calls Khabib vs. McGregor the biggest fight in UFC history. Outside the octagon, DC talks about nearly playing football at LSU, cornering Herschel Walker, his run-ins with fighters like Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, and Brock Lesnar (who he says he’d beat easily), and why he never wanted to join WWE despite the money. He also touches on his friendships with athletes across sports — from Christian McCaffrey, the Manning brothers, and Bronny James to Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, Vlad Guerrero Jr., and Tom Brady — and whether athletes’ kids can ever surpass their famous fathers. Cormier also opens up about his darkest chapters: his biological father being killed by his stepmother, losing his young daughter in an 18-wheeler accident, and how tragedy shaped him as a father and husband. He explains how his stepfather stepped in as the best role model of his life, how he bought his mom a house, and how money changed his perspective. Finally, DC gives Shannon insight into fight preparation, the science of recovery, and competing into his 40s like LeBron James, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He reveals how a simple sneeze before the Derrick Lewis fight ended his career, why even LeBron could face the same fate from one freak injury, and why a fighter’s legacy can change in a single moment. From rivalries and weight cuts to family, fatherhood, and fighting for legacy — this is Daniel Cormier like you’ve never heard him before.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is an IHeart podcast.

0:04.1

Your gaming setup should flex as hard as you do.

0:08.1

Every Lenovo gaming device is engineered for victory,

0:11.3

featuring powerful GPUs, ultra-responsive displays and advanced cooling systems

0:15.6

that keep things chill under pressure.

0:18.1

With a range of machines to support every play style,

0:21.9

Lenovo is the perfect mix of performance and versatility. Whatever your grind looks like, shop now at Lenovo.com

0:27.4

slash back to school. Inspired by Drive, powered by innovation. Have we ever seen someone in that

0:37.1

sport that possessed the arsenal that he has? No. He's by far the most talented person that we've had in mixed martial arts. When he beat me, I was never better. That was the best you'd ever been. I'd never been better. Let's just say, for the sake of argument, you're three years apart, and now y'all move up and y'all by the heavyweight. Nah, he wasn't beating me heavy.

0:51.3

All my life. They're grinding all my life. Sacrifice. Hustle paid the price. Want a slice. Got the roll of dice. That's why all my life. I be grinding all my life. Look. All my life. They're grinding all my life. Sacrifice. Hustle paid the price. want to slice Got to roll a dice

0:52.6

That's why

0:53.0

All my life

0:53.9

I've been grinding on grinding all my life. Sacrifice. Pustle paid the price. Want a slice. Got the bowling dice. That's why

1:13.3

all my life. I've been grinding all my life. Hello, welcome to another episode of Club

1:20.8

Shea. I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor of Club Shishay. Stopping by for

1:25.6

conversation in a drink today is one of the most accomplished and decorated fighters in MMA history.

1:30.3

He's one of the great mixed martial artists of all times, a warrior in the Octagon, a champion in every MMA organization he's competed in.

1:38.3

A former UFC light heavyweight champion and heavyweight champion.

1:42.3

He's the second fighter in UFC history to hold

1:44.9

titles in two weight classes simultaneously. He's the first fighter in the UFC to win and

1:50.9

defend both the light heavyweight and the heavyweight belts. A UFC Hall of Famer, a two-time

1:55.6

Olympian, three-time Louisiana state champion, an all-American freestyle wrestler, color commentator,

...

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