Club Shay Shay - Daniel Cormier Part 2

Summary

Club Shay Shay – Daniel Cormier Part 2

Date: August 20, 2025
Host: Shannon Sharpe | Guest: Daniel Cormier

---

Episode Overview

In this engaging and candid episode, Shannon Sharpe sits down for a second round of deep conversation with former UFC champion and Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier. Moving beyond fighting, the discussion touches on career-defining choices, the realities of fame and money, personal losses, parenting, and the lessons learned on and off the mat. The episode is imbued throughout with both humor and vulnerability, as Cormier shares stories about rivalries, family, adversity, and the drive required to be great.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The State of MMA Superstars: Conor McGregor & Francis Ngannou

• Cormier on Conor’s Motivation

  • "He's worth $300 million… there's no need [to fight]. He doesn't need this anymore." (02:37)
  • Quotes Marvin Hagler: "It's hard to get up in the morning when you're sleeping on satin sheets." (03:01)

• Reflecting on Francis Ngannou’s Career

  • Both wish they had seen Ngannou vs Jon Jones, but Cormier thinks Jones would likely win the wrestling exchanges. (04:10)
  • Cormier marvels at Ngannou's punching power:
    "I've never seen anybody hit harder than Francis... He hit Alistair Overeem in his head. The back of his head touched between his shoulders." (04:45)
  • Discusses Ngannou’s boxing ventures – surprising success, but the clear skill gap with elite boxers (Joshua/ Fury). (05:51–06:15)

The Differences Between Boxing and MMA

• Respect for Boxers
  • "A boxer throwing a punch in the MMA… they know how to punch… and they sit on everything." (06:28)
  • Cormier humbly recounts, "I went and trained one time in Oakland… getting my ass whooped… there’s nothing you could do." (06:39)

The Brock Lesnar “Almost-Fight”

• Why the Lesnar Fight Never Happened
  • WWE lured Lesnar back with big pay, ending prospects for the superfight:
    "That was my golden goose, man... I was beating Brock Lesnar. One of the safest fights I could have had." (07:02)
  • Insights into how Lesnar struggles with getting hit and Cormier’s confidence wrestling with him. (07:24–07:43)

From Football Offers to MMA & Early Life

• Turning Down LSU Football for Wrestling
  • Cormier was “Mr. Everything” in Louisiana high school football but ultimately chose wrestling due to size concerns and academic challenges. (08:14–09:12)
• On Herschel Walker’s Foray into MMA
  • Walker’s legendary physicality and intensity:
    "He would eat one time a day, bro... When this man would hit you, sometime he shock you.... Herschel Walker is a different individual." (10:10–11:47)
  • Describes Walker’s transformation before a fight:
    "Something flipped on him… talking about, 'I'm gonna kill this mother…’ Herschel was on a whole nother level." (11:32)

Cormier on WWE and the Physical Toll of Combat Sports

• Why He Didn’t Become a Pro Wrestler
  • "People talk about that stuff being fake… it's scripted... but it ain’t fake. It hurts." (12:15–12:25)
  • Shares how wrestlers and MMA fighters both pay a heavy price in physical wear and tear—but feels fortunate to have left in relatively good shape. (12:42)

Inside the Octagon: Dirty Tricks and Notable Opponents

• On Derrick Lewis, the Knockout King

  • "He got more knockouts than anybody in the history of UFC… He knows exactly... who he’s knocking out."
  • Recalling Lewis' humor: "Who do you want to fight next? He looks at his wife like, 'Going to be a lot of ground and pound going.'" (13:57–14:01)

• Hardest Punches Taken

  • "Dan Henderson, that little dude... he was made of concrete. He knocked out one of my bottom teeth..." (15:03–15:22)

• Tricks of the Trade

  • Admits to covering opponents' mouths to smother them, and describes fighting Josh Barnett:
    "He was elbowing me... bloodied, my eye was open… The moment I saw my mama, I started crying like a baby, man. I fell down…" (15:55–17:36)

What It Feels Like: Knockouts & Losses

• Cormier and Sharpe Compare KO Stories

  • Sharpe: "I've been knocked out... I can't remember anything. I just remember looking up at the scoreboard and asking my teammate…" (17:58–18:25)
  • Cormier: "I get knocked out, right? ... Rogan interviews me... I ask, ‘what happened,’ he tells me, I break down crying... He told me I did that seven times. Each time, same reaction, like it was the first time I heard that.” (19:06–19:24)

• Jon Jones Rivalry and the Fateful Head Kick

  • Describes how Jones set up the knockout:
    "He kept body kicking me… then gave me one that looked like the body and went high… I did the chicken dance... he kicks my leg out from under me... Then he jumped on me and started finishing." (20:19–25:35)

Reflections on Fighters' Pay & Life After the Cage

• Boxing vs. UFC Payout Realities
  • Only top champions see millions; most struggle.
    "There's only a select few people that make the big money in the UFC... champions make money." (34:22–34:35)
  • Cormier shares stories of receiving million-dollar discretionary bonuses—underscoring how champions are taken care of:
    "When I fought Jon Jones, my contract was $85,000… Dana called me and goes, ’You did a great job. We’re going to send you a check for a million dollars.’" (34:58)
• Negotiating with Dana White
  • Positive personal experiences, but acknowledges business is business (36:32–37:45)
  • Would love the opportunity to run the UFC in the future but can't imagine it without Dana. (38:15–38:47)

Life, Loss, and Family: Cormier Gets Personal

• What Money Teaches You

  • "Money’s hard to keep. You pay a lot of taxes… You’re going to be exactly who you always were. If someone’s ugly with money, they were always ugly. It just gives you freedom." (45:30–46:21)
  • Deep pride in buying his mom a house and returning kindness to her:
    "That's one of my greatest accomplishments… She was a house cleaner, and I made sure she had house cleaners when she was older." (46:40–47:18)

• On Love, Relationships, and Fatherhood

  • Cormier admits the difficulties of balancing greatness and relationships, emphasizing selfishness is a part of athletic achievement. (47:50–49:27)
  • Tribute to his stepfather:
    "He taught me to work… I learned to work. It has defined my life." (52:42–54:46)
  • Aims to be as present and hardworking for his own children as his stepfather was for him. (54:50–55:34)

• Losing His Daughter and Coping with Grief

  • Cormier recounts his daughter’s tragic death at three months old in a car accident:
    "That was the worst thing that's ever happened... I try not to let things define me, but that's the one..." (55:36–57:27)
  • How trauma changed his approach to fatherhood, sometimes making him overprotective:
    "You have to consciously try not to be as much of a helicopter parent." (58:04)
  • On losing loved ones:
    "You never get over it. You just get better at dealing with it." (59:36–61:02)

The Real Toll: Weight Cuts & Physicality

• On Cutting Weight:

  • "Money can buy resources… but cutting that kind of water weight is taxing. I went into renal failure at the Olympics." (61:22–62:19)
  • At times, cut 26 pounds in a week; recalls once gaining 26 back overnight (205 to 231).
    "I gained 26 pounds overnight. That's too much. I felt so sluggish and horrible." (68:00)

• Wrestling Style & Short Stature as an Advantage

  • “If I could get close, you're in trouble. I'm sticky – like, you stuck in the fly trap." (68:58)

Upbringing, Bullies, and Street Scraps

• Bullied as a Child

  • Wrestling taught him confidence and self-defense.
    "Wrestling is so important for kids... Six months later, they're walking in with some ‘oomph’... wrestling gives you that." (72:43–73:40)

• Fights and Arrest Story

  • Recounts his only arrest for breaking someone’s jaw in college, and how his mother put up the house for bail:
    _"I was crying. My mom actually... to get me out of jail, she put her house on the line as counter for the bail." (74:13–75:21)

• Failed Drug Dealing Attempt

  • Details a comical childhood story of trying (and failing) to fake crack sales:
    "I was a bad drug dealer... We made fake drugs, took some wax, put oral gel on it… he ate the crack, now he's out of this." (75:53–76:57)

The Essence of Fighting & MMA vs. Boxing

• Could a Boxer Beat an MMA Fighter in Street Fight?

  • "No. They'd get taken down. It would happen too fast… The baddest man on the planet is a mixed martial arts fighter." (77:09–77:48)

• Future Aspirations

  • "In five, ten years? Probably doing the same thing. I love my job... Podcasting, television. I just might be living wherever my kids go to college." (78:11)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Cormier on Conor McGregor’s Motivation:
  "He can't walk into any room without everybody knowing who he is. So the access he has, how's he going to look past all of that to go to a training camp to fight?" [03:43]
• On the Physical Toll of WWE:
  "People talk about that stuff being fake...but it ain’t fake. It hurts." [12:25]
• On Getting Knocked Out by Jon Jones:
  "Rogan interviews me... I ask, 'what happened.' He tells me I break down crying… He told me I did that seven times. Each time, same reaction, like it was the first time I heard that." [19:09–19:24]
• On Dirty Tricks in MMA:
  "I would always cover their mouth...try to smother them..." [15:48]
• On Loss and Life:
  "You never get over it. You just get better at dealing with it." [59:36] — Shannon Sharpe
• On Money:
  "Money gives you the ability... to be exactly who you always wanted to be." [45:30]
• On Being Great:
  "Part of being great is being selfish...that's the only way you can become great." [48:09–49:27]
• On the Future:
  "Probably doing the same thing… I love calling fights… I think I have the best job in the world." [78:11]
• Cormier’s Advice to Young Fighters:
  "If you can't wrestle, like, I was fighting you." [14:33]
  "That's one thing I learned fighting the heavier guys. They don't balance well on their feet. So I would just kind of move them around until they fell down." [14:52]

---

Standout Timestamps for Reference

• Conor McGregor & Motivation: 02:37–03:56
• Francis Ngannou & Jon Jones: 04:07–05:51
• Brock Lesnar Fight Fallout: 07:00–07:53
• Herschel Walker in MMA: 09:18–11:47
• Derrick Lewis & Knockout Anecdotes: 13:02–15:03
• Knockout Experiences/Memory Loss: 17:58–20:15
• Pay in UFC vs. Boxing: 34:22–36:12
• Losing His Daughter: 55:36–57:27
• Dealing with Trauma/Loss: 59:36–61:02
• Weight Cutting Stories: 61:22–68:13
• Funny Failed Drug Dealing Story: 75:53–76:57
• The Baddest Man on the Planet: 77:09–77:48
• Cormier on Future: 78:11

---

Tone and Closing

Cormier’s storytelling is disarmingly honest: humble, humorous, and raw. Both he and Sharpe move seamlessly from laughter to moments of vulnerability—reflecting on pain, family, and the pursuit of greatness. The episode offers a layered portrait of Daniel Cormier, both the fierce competitor and the grateful son, father, and mentor.

---

Transcript

[Daniel Cormier]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

You can make a difference in someone's life, including your own, with a job in home care. These jobs offer flexible schedules, health care, retirement options and free training. They also provide paid time off and opportunities for overtime. Visit oregonhomecarejobs.com to learn more and apply. That's oregonhomecarejobs.com ever go to McNachos on.

[Sponsor Voice 2]

Game day and realize the cheese is missing? Or the chips or both? It happens all the time, but check it Walmart Express Delivery gets what's needed in as fast as one hour. One hour people. And it's not just food. It's phone chargers, pet supplies, toilet paper. Try it now and get free delivery on a first order with promo code and express Walmart Express delivery in as fast as 1 hour Promotion valid for first express delivery order $50 min Subject to availability restrictions apply.

[Sponsor Voice 3]

Running a business online look legit and own your own brand with professional tools from GoDaddy instantly build trust with your customers and boost your credibility with an email that matches your domain so people know you mean business. There's never been a better time. Just go to GoDaddy.com GDnow and choose from a wide variety of popular domains to find one that's right for you. Pair that with a professional email that works for all your business needs from daily communications to email marketing and everything in between. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. For a limited time, get a domain and matching professional email for just 99 cents a month for one year. Go to GoDaddy.comGdNow and look legit with GoDaddy. That's GoDaddy.comGdNow again. GoDaddy.comGdNow there's never been a better time to choose. Choose the domain and email that's right for you. New customer purchases only products Auto renew separately. See terms on site GoDaddy.com GDNow please.

[Daniel Cormier]

Welcome aboard the Johnson Family.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The whole fam's here for the Disney Cruise. So you know we came to play and listen. The adults are gonna have a ball. First we're chilling in the infinity pool, onto massages at Sense's Spa. Then gliding into Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge for a toast. We're even gonna kick back with Mickey on Disney's private island. That's how we get down. Cause Disney Cruise Line is where we came to play. Thank you for coming back. Part two is underway. You and Connor went back and forth on social media but you said it's over for Conor. I Mean, the money. The money that he made from Floyd, the money that he's made off his alcohol, the money that he. That he's making now to go back into. I mean, you're worth $300 million to go in there, and it's like, you know what? I want to get kicked in my face, hit in my face, elbowed in my face. Need.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, there's no need there. Yeah, he doesn't need that. He doesn't need this anymore. Marvin Hagler said it's hard to get up in the morning when you're sleeping on sadden sheets. Right. Way back in the day.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

There. There are a few sayings in the world that are untrue. Yeah, that was right. Like, you know that one where it's like, to be the champion, you got to defend the belt. That's bullshit. Ric Flair started that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

To beat a man, you got to beat.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, Ric Flair started that, man. That's.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'll beat. Beat the man that beat the man and be just as happy.

[Daniel Cormier]

Give me one belt. The moment they put that belt on you, you're the champion. But fighters have actually believed that, Conor. It's. It's the. The. The. And he's one of the biggest superstars in the world.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

He can't walk into any room without everybody knowing who he is. So the access he has, how's he going to look past all of that to go to a training camp to fight?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

Especially if he wants to do it. Right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Francis Ngannou, he was in the ufc. He left. Seems to be. There's some speculation that he might be wanting to come back. There was this talk about Francis fighting John.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Would you like to see that fight?

[Daniel Cormier]

I. I would have. I would have.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Not now.

[Daniel Cormier]

I would now. Still, back then, I wanted to, because Francis, in his last fight against Cyril, he. His wrestling looked better. But I do believe that if he fought John, that's a more serviceable fight for Jon, because John can wrestle, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

And he probably would just take Francis down.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. You don't want to stand toe to toe with it.

[Daniel Cormier]

No. And, dude, you remember when he would elbow people in the back in the day, like, he just. I think Francis would have. Have to knock him out. But Francis could knock people out, man. I've never seen anybody hit harder than Francis.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, he got power.

[Daniel Cormier]

He's got the most power I've ever seen in my life. He be knocking dudes. He hit Alistair Overeem in his head. The back of his head touched between his shoulders. He hit him with an uppercut. The back of his head touched between his shoulders as he was falling down. I've never seen anything like it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But Francis boxed because, okay, he. Tyson Fury, and it gave him some confidence. And then he ended up fighting. Anthony Joshua got knocked out, but he made some money. I mean.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yep. He's the only one that's actually done that. And it worked out because he was a heavyweight champ.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

And. And Shannon, he looks like the heavyweight champ.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

When he became the champ and I was like, okay, look at him now. You look like you're looking at the baddest man on the planet.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes, absolutely. You.

[Daniel Cormier]

You looking like this dude Fran Gano looks like he can walk into any place. And you go, well, that's a dude I'm not trying to take.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I ain't messing with him.

[Daniel Cormier]

And he had. He had it. So when he moved over, it worked. He was the heavyweight champ.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

But he dropped Tyson Fury.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Remember he knocked him out. I thought it was over. Yeah, man, you should. I exploded out of my chair. But then Anthony Joshua beat him bad.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

And you saw when Joshua dropped him, the difference in a boxer and a guy. That cuz Francis was like this. He needed to grab him. He got flatlined.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And the thing is that boxers understand how to faint.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yep. And when he gave him that faint, when he gave him that faint, Francis went boom. I was like, oh, my God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. And boxer. A boxer throwing a punch and mma, look, I understand that, you know, they both hit hard, but boxers is just something about that punch and where it's coming from. I mean, it's Shannon.

[Daniel Cormier]

I went trained one time in Oakland when I first started boxing gym. They hit you with a jab and it's like, what the hell was that? Because they know how to punch.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And they sit on everything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Boom, boom. It's not jab, jab, touch to try to take you down.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

I'm just mad in there getting my ass whooped. I'm like, I want. I can beat everybody up in here. I'll start wrestling every one of you fools. They're like pissed off because the dude's just putting it on you. They just putting it on you because there's nothing you could do.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Why did you fight Brock Lesnar?

[Daniel Cormier]

The WWE got him. The WWE took him back. That was my golden goose, man. We had that moment in the ring. I pushed him, he pushed me. WWE paid him back. They were paying Brock like 6, 7 million a year, maybe 10, right? You telling me, Brock, you can go fight DC and lose or you can come back.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He was saying, you gonna lose.

[Daniel Cormier]

I'm beating Brock Lesnar, man. I was beating, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That was a big dude, man.

[Daniel Cormier]

Coach, no matter dog Shay. I was beating Brock Lesnar. It was one of the safest fights I could have had. I'm telling you, that's the truth. It's just the truth. I like Brock, too. Like, he's a great guy, but I watch what Kane did to him. I watch how he would react to getting punched, right? And I was gonna punch him. He would have to take me down, right. To win the fight. And I can wrestle.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, but he's not a wrestler. I mean, he was a wrestler.

[Daniel Cormier]

He was, but. But if he shoots on me, I'm. I'm gonna make it so hard for him to get that takedown that by the time he gets it. Yeah, he's exhausted. Now I'm up to my feet. And then you're done. That's why I put Kane.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

He took Kane down. Kane got up, started kneeing him in his face. I saw Brock recently. He still has that scar in his eye. Really? From when Kane need him in the face? Yep. Still got that big scar on his eye.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Damn.

[Daniel Cormier]

It's crazy. It's crazy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Is it true you got a scholarship to lsu?

[Daniel Cormier]

I got, like, offers back then, but I had bad grades, and I just was not going to college to play football.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

It was hard to. It was hard for me in the school that I was in to. First off, there's way too much pressure on football down there in Louisiana.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, it's bad. Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And we weren't very good, but, I mean, I was the. The All State MVP. Defensively, I was pretty much Mr. Everything in Football because I was a good little linebacker, but I was small, right? And they were talking about me playing cornerback or free safety. Strong safety. I was like, I'm supposed to chase. How much Chase Randy Moss. I'm an Indian dude, so, like, I'm not smart, Right. I didn't really know the difference between strong safety is more like a linebacker.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes. Yeah, that was.

[Daniel Cormier]

But I was thinking, I'm gonna be chasing dudes like Randy Moss because he was graduating the same year. I was like, there's no way.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nah, I'm good.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah. I was like, I'm gonna just go wrestle, man. I'm good. I did. I got an offer to go play football.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You was in Herschel Walker's corner?

[Daniel Cormier]

Yes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Mma.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Could Herschel have made a career out of that, or. He did what he was supposed to do. Have one fight and move it along.

[Daniel Cormier]

Shannon, I gotta tell you, man, was he really the great? He was the great. He was one of the greatest athletes, wasn't he?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, he was. Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Shannon, this man was so strong, but I don't think I've ever seen anybody, like. He was very stiff.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He had no flexibility.

[Daniel Cormier]

Oh, he was even in football.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. You stiff?

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, bro. He was so stiff. But when he hit you. Oh, in his shape, he would, like, move his feet. He would move his feet, but they never left the ground. They never left the ground, bro. Hershel would be walking towards you like this. So when this man would hit you, sometime he shock you. You know how you rub your feet? Yeah, sometimes Herschel's shocking dudes. Hey, and then we were in the back. I swear to God, it was the most. Herschel Walker is a different individual. Herschel Walker has had some stuff in his life where it's like his anger, but if you meet him, you vent him. For sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, for sure.

[Daniel Cormier]

He is the nicest person. We were all broke back in the day. Herschel was staying at the Intercontinental or. What was the name of that hotel downtown? San Jose? No, but it was called something else before. It was a nice one. But Herschel owned a chicken company. You know, Herschel owns that chicken.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

One of the biggest ones in the country.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes, he does.

[Daniel Cormier]

But because of that, they service that restaurant down there. So Herschel got free rooms at this beautiful hotel downtown San Jose. He would feed us all, but he wouldn't eat. He would eat one time a day, bro. He would eat soup and bread and some eggs. So I'm like, yo, this is the nicest guy ever. Multimillionaire, rich, nice, football hall of Famer. We got at the ring or in the hallway to walk, and, bro, something flipped on him. I said, this dude is dark. I was like, this is a dark son of a gun, bro. He started talking to himself, talking about, I'm gonna kill this mother. They ain't gonna do J, right? Talking about killing this dude.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Daniel Cormier]

He put to get himself there, right? He went there. I was like, yo, I've heard people, like, talk to themselves to hype themselves up. Herschel was on a whole nother level. It was the most intense thing I've ever seen in my life. And he went out there and he won.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Daniel Cormier]

He was 40. He was over 40. Yeah, he was over 40. Retired from football for many, many years. Went in there, did his thing, and won a fight in strike Force, which at the time was the second biggest organization of all time. But, bro, to see him go to that place, Shannon.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

You'd be like, yo, this dude is crazy. I look back at the other dudes, I was like, are y' all seeing this? Everybody acting normal. Hershey's talking about killing motherfucker. Hersh thought about killing people.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you ever think about doing wwe?

[Daniel Cormier]

So I thought about it right after I was wrestling, but then it's hard. People talk about that stuff being fake. Amen. It's scripted.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. But it ain't fake.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, it hurts.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Oh, those falls hurt. You caught.

[Daniel Cormier]

You got to throw your arms back.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

So every time, it's like. It's like slapping against the ring.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Or when you run the ropes. Those ropes, they burn you. Like, it's. It's. It's hard, man. And that's why you see them all break down like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Like, they're all, like. They're all, like, messed up. Like, their knees don't work. They're like football players in us. Y' all got it hard. Football's hard, man. The wear and tear on the body is crazy, and so is MMA in wrestling. I'm one of the lucky ones. I feel like I got out pretty clean.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right? Derrick Lewis.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah. Back beast, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He coming there to do one thing you already know. He ain't trying to take you down. He ain't trying to kick you. He ain't trying to knee you. He ain't trying to elbow you, try.

[Daniel Cormier]

To knock you out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He tried to knock you out.

[Daniel Cormier]

The knockout kick.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's it.

[Daniel Cormier]

He got more knockouts than anybody in the history of ufc. He hits hard. I fought him. He hits hard. When he hit me, I was holding his leg up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And he just kind of went like this, and it skimmed down my eye. Next day, I woke up with a big old black eye.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Daniel Cormier]

He kicked me. I had knots all in my. My forearms. He. He was. But he knocks these dudes out, man. He knows exactly. Hey, yo, did you see him a couple weeks ago? Did you see his poor wife in there, man? Did you. Did you see her? He talk about the ground if he see his wife. She was in there, so embarrassed. And the camera pans to her.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

I'm in there interviewing this man. I'm like. I'm like, this dude, Derek, we about to say some crazy stuff.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And he go. I go, what do you. Who you want to fight next? Like, what do you want next? He looks over at his wife, like, going, to be a lot of ground and pound going. I was like, boy. And then she got stand there and try to stay composed, knowing that Derek's out of his mind.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you were the first man to submit him.

[Daniel Cormier]

I did, yeah. He couldn't wrestle. It was why I fought him. They called me three weeks before the fight to. To fight him.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

And you like. Sure, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Easy money.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah. I knew. I knew he couldn't wrestle. So I knew.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And his. His cardio.

[Daniel Cormier]

And if. If I can extend him, he would get tired.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

But, yeah, just if you couldn't wrestle, like I was fighting you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, but you gotta get. I mean, you gotta get past those three rounds. Cause you let him get you in the first round there.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah. He hit you. Gonna knock you out. Yeah, but I just shot on him, right. Because he was so inexperienced with his wrestling that I, like, backed him up and just grabbed his leg.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

That's one thing I learned fighting the heavier guys.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

They don't balance well on their feet.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

So I would just kind of move them around until they fell down. Wow.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Learn something new. Who's the hardest puncher? What's the hardest punch you've taken? Who. Who hit you?

[Daniel Cormier]

Probably Dan Henderson, that little dude, he was like. He was made of concrete. Damn Hendo. He hit so hard, he. He hit me. He was on his back and he hit me and he knocked. Knocked out one of my bottom teeth. I had to go to, like, an emergency dentist.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Damn.

[Daniel Cormier]

On Labor Day, on Memorial Day, after he hit me from the bottom, he hit hard. Even from in close, he would just. And it was just crazy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Obviously, there are things that you can't do, but are there dirty things that guy. You know, you're not supposed to eye gouge somebody and you're not. Obviously you can't bite or you can't do certain things, but are there certain things that guys do that the ref can't see?

[Daniel Cormier]

I always had a trick where when I would get on top of them, I would always cover their mouth. I would literally try to smother them.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Damn. Dc.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, I know. Nasty, dirty Josh Barnett. That's not dirty. It's like, I'm just trying to, like, Josh Barnett would, like, always, like, kind of. If you let him go behind you, his hand was going like. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Them dudes, they, they, they. Dude. His life, they trying. His life and death out there, Shannon. His life out there. He's like. I saw. Hey, I fought Josh Barnett. I was trying to take him down. He was elbowing me. Boom, boom, Cut me wide open here. First fight I ever had a black eye. He kneed me in the eye, right? Cut my head open. When I was a kid, I was playing football with the older kids. One dude clotheslined me, broke my collarbone. Yeah, it was bad. I walked to my mama house because I'm trying to be tough, right? I'm a young kid, I can't cry. As soon as I saw my mom, I fall on the ground. They put me in a cast, broken collarbone. I fought Josh Barnett. My mom passed in 2022. When I fought Josh Barnett, I had won my first big world title, Strikeforce. I was bloodied, man, my eye was open. Everything was. They put stitches for the first time. I walked into the hotel and I'm good. Taking pictures, everybody. Oh, champ. The moment I saw my mama, I started crying like a baby, man. I felt I'm in her lap like a 7 year old kid again. Please make me feel better, right? That's how nasty he was in there, dude. He was elbowing me, he was grabbing me. He was doing everything he could to just like inflict pain on me. He does that. Jones does that. Certain guys just, no matter where you are, they're just trying to hurt you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

And like that's. Yeah, but you gotta be so well rounded to do this thing now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

If you aren't, you screw. Look at Ilia Toporia. He's a monster. He's a monster. He's like, he's. He's one of the best fighters of all time and he's only fought eight times in the ufc.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Daniel Cormier]

He's amazing. These guys are amazing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What does it feel like to knock someone out? What does it feel like to get knocked out? Because you were. And I know exactly what you're saying. Cause I've been knocked out and I can't remember anything. I don't remember driving to the stadium. I don't remember what I had to eat. I don't remember anything. I just remember looking up at the scoreboard and asking my teammate, Rod Smith, I was like, we call them puts. I say foots. How we get to leave? Cause I don't.

[Daniel Cormier]

I don't wanna laugh though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, no. But I'm like, how did we. Cause I just remember like we were losing before this happened and now it's the fourth quarter and I'm like, what happens if we win this game? He said, boo, we go to the Super Bowl. I was like, yeah, yeah, we go to the Super Bowl. But it's a funny feeling to get knocked out because you really don't remember anything?

[Daniel Cormier]

Hey, my coach told me that is bad. I'm laughing because my coach told me. Was that the last time you asked. You probably asked him again.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, no, that was.

[Daniel Cormier]

I was like, no, you probably asked him again.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I started. I was like, I started jumping up and down the side, like, yeah. Cause we over at 14 with like 3 minutes to go and we got the ball this.

[Daniel Cormier]

This dude. So I get knocked out, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

That was John when he kicked you?

[Daniel Cormier]

When John kicked me and he hit with the follow up shots, right? Only time I knocked out, I'm crying, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

I go to my corner, I ask my coach, I said, what happened? He tells me, I break down crying, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Rogan interviews me as we're walking out the octagon. I look to him and I go, hey, what happened? He tells me, I break down crying. He told me I did that seven times. He had to keep explaining it to me. And then every time he explained it, I would have the exact same reaction. Like it was the first time I had heard that shit, man. That's bad. Yo, J. That's bad. He said he told me seven times. And then I'm in the. I'm in the ambulance because they're trying to get me in the ambulance. I'm refusing, right? Finally I get in the ambulance and I wake up and I was present like nothing had happened. I was like, I lost. They're like, yeah, yeah, you lost. I was like, God damn it. I swear to God, I. I woke up and I woke up in the. In the I'm ambulance, like, and realized like, I lost. Did.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you not? Because obviously. So how did he. How did he set the head kick up?

[Daniel Cormier]

It was. It was. It was beautiful. It was beautiful, man. It was beautiful. He kept body kicking me. That's what he did in the first fight too. And I kept checking, I kept blocking, I kept blocking. But then in the second round, I was fighting good. First round, real good. Second round, real good. So now I'm feeling good because I feel great. My cardio's great.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Third round. But the whole time he's just kicking me the body. Third time he tries to kick me in the head in the third round was the first one of the first attempts. And I was like, nah, nah. But then he actually gave me one that looked like he was going to the body. And so I did this. And you're supposed to lean.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, right.

[Daniel Cormier]

You're supposed to kind of lean to kind of take some of the impact off. But when I leaned. He was not going low. He was going high.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Caught you.

[Daniel Cormier]

Boom. Right on the side of the head. So then I started doing the chicken dance. Right. Like, you know when your legs give up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And this is. This is. This is where. This is why. This is why I can't stand this dude. Because somebody else that's not as good would have let me off the hook.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

Because I was still there. And again, that's me. Football neck, big neck, you know, short neck.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Can take. Most people just fall down from a head kick like that. I was still there. So I'm like doing this thing, running away from him. Yo, he kicks my leg to spin me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes, I remember.

[Daniel Cormier]

So he kicks my leg.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Kick your leg out from.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah. So I spin.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

It's like that shit. You put the kids where they go straight.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. They get drunk.

[Daniel Cormier]

Then you don't know where you're at.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

When I did that, I fell. And that was it. I could not. My body was gone.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

But like, if I was on my feet, I might have been able to grab him. I might have been able to hold him.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

You can make a difference in someone's life, including your own, with a job in home care. These jobs offer flexible schedules, health care, retirement options, and free training. They also provide paid time off and opportunities for overtime. Visit oregonhomecarejobs.com to learn more and apply. That's oregonhomecarejobs.com.

[Sponsor Voice 3]

Running a business online. Look legit and own your own brand with professional tools from GoDaddy. Instantly build trust with your customers and boost your credibility with an email that matches your domain so people know you mean business. There's never been a better time. Just go to GoDaddy.com GDnow and choose from a wide variety of popular domains. To find one that's right for you. Pair that with a professional email that works for all your business needs. From daily communications to email marketing and everything in between. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. For a limited time, get a domain and matching professional email for just 99 cents a month for one year. Go to GoDaddy.comGdNow and look legit with GoDaddy. That's GoDaddy.comGdNow again. GoDaddy.comGdNow there's never been a better time to choose the domain and email that's right for you. New customer purchases only products. Auto renew separately. See terms on site godaddy.com gd now.

[Daniel Cormier]

Okay.

[Sponsor Voice 2]

Real talk. Ever have one of those? Need it right now. Moments like the dog just chewed through a leash again. A kid's school project needs glitter glue tonight and somehow the toilet paper is gone. Yeah, that moment has happened to everyone. That's where Walmart Express Delivery comes in. Clutch. Get all that pet stuff, school stuff, household stuff, all the stuff in as fast as one hour. One hour. That means chargers, diapers, candles, light bulbs, laundry detergent, real life rescue items. And it's all from Walmart. Just hop on the app, order what's needed and boom, it's at the door before a toddler melts down or before halftime is even over. Yes, game day food can be delivered in an hour too. Try it now and get free delivery on a first order with promo code Express. That's free delivery on a first order with promo code Express. Walmart Express delivery in as fast as 1 hour. Promotion Valid for the First Express delivery order $50 min. Subject to availability restrictions apply this Labor Day.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Say goodbye to spills, stains and overpriced furniture with washablesofas.com featuring Annabe, the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly pricing. Sofas start at just $6.99, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Anibase Pet friendly, stain resistant and interchangeable slipcovers are made with high performance fabric built for real life. You'll love the cloud like comfort of hypoallergenic high resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time with modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your life. Now through Labor Day. Get up to 60% off site [e-mail] Every order comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees. Every penny back. Shop [e-mail] Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Daniel Cormier]

I might have shot. I would have done something. But because he's such a great finisher, he kicks my leg out from under me. So then I spin and when I spin I'm like seeing all these lights and all of a sudden your body starts falling. It was like a kid trying to hit a pinata. It was crazy, man. Then I fall on my stomach. Of all times in my world to fall on my stomach. Like fall on your back to where you could see him coming. Maybe get my feet up to try to block him, right? But Instead, I fell on my stomach and he jumped on me and started. Started finishing. And I know this from watching it, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So. So you watch it. So you watch. When you lost that fight, you watched it over?

[Daniel Cormier]

Not for a long time. I didn't watch the fight. But it's on highlights and stuff.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

The UFC don't shield us from the. If you lost. If you lost, you gonna see yourself getting beat at some point.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

That's why with him and Stipe fought, it was the worst. The whole week, I'm just out there. I was like, damn, did I ever win a fight? I'm just getting beat the whole time, Right? It was terrible.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, that. I mean, like you said, I mean, his toolbox. The way he could finish a fight with an elbow. He could submit you.

[Daniel Cormier]

He elbowed me bad.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And then that.

[Daniel Cormier]

That spinning, that spinning backing got.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He called Stipe perfect.

[Daniel Cormier]

Post. Stipe, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And you and he and you. He doesn't telegraph it well.

[Daniel Cormier]

The box, the heavyweights, the boxing or wrestling, they're not doing all that right. You could tell right away when he needs Stipe. Ste was like, what is this?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

What They're. They're kneeing now. Normally a guy's trying to either take me out or box with me. Maybe a couple leg kicks here and there. John was hitting him with all kinds of stuff. Jon hit him with knees, elbows, spinning kicks. When he hit him with that spinning kick, Stipe, you could tell Stipe looked like a guy that hadn't fought for three and a half years and was 42. He looked and he just turned down. I was like, oh, Jon got him. But he is very good at setting everything up. That's why he didn't have to cheat. He did not have to cheat. That's where my biggest issue is. You don't need to cheat. You got all that. Keep that. Use what you have. He always get mad at me. He gonna be on me now for this. Oh, I live.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I live.

[Daniel Cormier]

The other day, he said he lived rent free in my house, in my brain or something like that. I'm like, man, shut up. I care about you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Obviously, you were there when Anderson Silva. Was that Rockhold, or was that Chael Sonnen? No, when he checked him, that was Chris Weidman. Weidman. Had you ever seen. Have you ever. Had you ever seen that before? Cause it happened again. Another fighter got checked.

[Daniel Cormier]

Hey, Chris Weidman checked. Anderson broke his leg.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Then Chris Weidman kicked somebody else. Was it Rock Weidman kicked a guy named Uriah Hall, Broke his leg so the same thing that happened to Anderson, Chris did to himself. I can't watch it. Did you watch it?

[Shannon Sharpe]

I watched it.

[Daniel Cormier]

Can you actually watch the. I can't. It looked like his leg.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, it like broke half. Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

You watched it? I can't watch it even next to the octave.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But I watched it. I was watching it live at the time.

[Daniel Cormier]

But all those replays, I was like.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Jim, how'd it look when you see it? You like, damn, that look. And then he, like, he tried to, you know. You know, you try to put, you know, try to balance yourself and you just. I'm like, damn.

[Daniel Cormier]

Look like his leg broke. Yes, dude. I had to ask Rogan and Anik. I'm like, I'm like, did it break? Did it break? Did it break? They're like, oh, it broke. It was like, do not watch it. That was a throw up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean. Cause you guys know how to check because it's called, you know, you check.

[Daniel Cormier]

You like, you check the kick. Yeah. You put. You either lean into it or you pick your. You pick your knee up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

And what they were doing were kicking on the inside. That's why when you kick on the inside, they just turn their knee in.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

And if you kick too hard, man, you break your leg. That's why I don't kick too much. Hey. That's why I was out there boxing just like everybody else.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What's the worst injury you sustained in a fight?

[Daniel Cormier]

In a fight, just more damage, like facial stuff, like black eye, cut face. I never got hurt really bad in fights, but in training. Ribs. Torn acl. Torn ACL ribs. I tore some sort of. This. This ligament in my shin one time. Kicking, broke broken hand. Like, I. I couldn't. I couldn't punch. I didn't know how to punch. Like, remember I used to have this idea that Floyd had, like, frail hands.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

That was me. Like, I broke my hand five times when I started fighting.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Daniel Cormier]

Every time I would land right, I would. I would break my hand. So then I have a doctor call Stidham. He did a great job with my, with this. And it never broke again. He put a plate with like eight screws because it just kept breaking. But when knocking someone out, you don't feel nothing. You literally don't feel anything. If you knock them out with a punch.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

It's like sometimes you feel. And it's like that loud impact.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

When you land the right way, sometimes it's like you don't even punch them. It's like you go right through Them.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you know, it.

[Daniel Cormier]

Well, they fall. They fall. When I hit Stipe with that one, that put him down to become the double champions. I had just. I had thrown that punch so many times, and it just so happened to hit him and he went down. I couldn't. I didn't even feel nothing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Like when Usman caught George Nosvoodal.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Jose Masvidal. Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

When he caught him with his chin.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Went all the way, I was like, oh, my goodness.

[Daniel Cormier]

Masvidal was mad at me one time because I was on NFL. NFL alignment. I said, when the mug. When you. When you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You caught the mug.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah. Put him in. Put him in a concussion protocol, dog. He gotta go in the tent because his chin went all the way back there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

He went down bad. That was. Kamaru punched through him and he just crumbled. Yeah, that was nasty.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Kamaru looked good coming back. Let me ask you this. When you saw Anderson Silver, he could box a little bit, but he fought Jake Paul.

[Daniel Cormier]

See, that's. I have a problem with all that. I don't know how y' all feel. I don't know how you guys feel about the. The Jake Paul. Anderson. The Jake Paul.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I wanted to see him fight. Boxers. Boxers. That's his age.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I don't think that's asking too much.

[Daniel Cormier]

No. Mike Tyson.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, Mike Tyson.

[Daniel Cormier]

He beat up on Mike. Mike 60, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

Mike did make like 27 mil, so I get it. But 60 years old.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

I want Jake Paul to fight guys that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He said he wants to fight Canelo.

[Daniel Cormier]

Canelo fights 154 or 160. That's one of his best weights. He'll fight heavier.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cure.

[Daniel Cormier]

He fought the guy at 175.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And got beat. Yeah. But like, it's like, fight. Jake weighs 200, 210, 215.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, but I mean, so that means he'd be a heavyweight.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, he's like a heavyweight.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And he talking about. He says he wants to fight Anthony Joshua, that he's.

[Daniel Cormier]

If he fights Anthony Joshua, everybody's wish and dream of him getting finished will come to fruition.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But I think the thing is, he's better now. Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, he takes it serious.

[Daniel Cormier]

He can fight.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You can. You can appreciate. You can appreciate that. You can tell that he spends time in the gym. You tell that he has serious coaches and he's taking this craft serious. He ain't just getting in there and people like, oh, he's just.

[Daniel Cormier]

He's a YouTuber. No, he ain't no, he's a boxer.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Daniel Cormier]

So Jake Paul's a millionaire.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Jake Paul's not training at the local ymca.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[Daniel Cormier]

He's got real coaches on sale.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He got real.

[Daniel Cormier]

He's got high level coaches. Yes. And he lives to box now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes, yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

Even boxing. Seriously now. So he should be able to compete. Yes, he's a boxer. He's not. He's not that same kid. That's why I keep telling those MMA guys, every time they tell me I got a chance to fight Jake Paul, I'm like, man, don't do it. Because he.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He boxed. That's what he does.

[Daniel Cormier]

He's a boxer. You don't know how to box.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[Daniel Cormier]

Like my friend Ben Askren.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Ben wouldn't fought him. Ben should have never fought him.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

No, because he was gonna get. Ben never could wrestle. He could never box. No, he's a wrestler. Tyron Woodley. I was so sad when Tyron Woodley kept losing to him. I love T Wood, man. And I was like, t wood, like.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, you don't see the butt dead.

[Daniel Cormier]

Look.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You don't see them punches, bro. You're not. That's not what.

[Daniel Cormier]

That's not what we do. I can't box these guys. No, he tried. Jake Paul tried to mess with me for a while until I went up to him in Orlando. I said, I don't play like these kids. I said, stop playing with me. His bodyguard said. I said, I'm gonna slap you, too. I said, I don't play like that, man. Don't leave me alone. I swear to God. I was at the commentary. Deshaun.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

I'm sitting there, he in the back making faces at me. I took my headset off, I put it down. I got up, walked right to where he was in the stands. I pointed right in his face. I said, man, I don't play. Leave me alone. I said, I'm not the children that you messing around with. I'm not gonna play with you. Leave me alone. His bodyguard. Yeah. I don't do nothing. I said, I'm gonna slap the out of you, too. Both of y' all can get it. The security, ufc, security can't get me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Cause you know, man, come on, we grown ups, man. We don't like. I'm not playing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Everybody don't play like that.

[Daniel Cormier]

No, man, leave me alone. Unless you really want to fight. Jon Jones, I respect, because he fights me, right? But leave me alone. Don't. I'm not playing those childish games. Right, yeah. Leave me alone.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you think you see the guys in MMA going to fight, going to.

[Daniel Cormier]

Box for the money?

[Shannon Sharpe]

For the money.

[Daniel Cormier]

They do it for the money. They.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Look, man, can you blame them, though?

[Daniel Cormier]

No, no, no. There's only a select few people that make the big money in the ufc.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Correct.

[Daniel Cormier]

It's the God honest truth. I mean, champions make money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

Lorenzo Fertitto was the best. When Lorenzo Fertitto was there, he would do these discretionary bonuses.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Where they would just give you money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

He had an idea of what he wanted a champion to make, and he would make sure you got it right. So when I fought Jon Jones, my contract was $85,000. I lost the first time. On Monday, Dana called me and goes, you did a great job. We're going to send you a check for a million dollars.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What?

[Daniel Cormier]

Swear to God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

85. And then you got.

[Daniel Cormier]

He gave me a million dollars. They gave me a million dollars a check for. First time ever made that. Obviously, as a wrestler, it was the first time I'd ever made seven figures. They called me and said, you did a great job. Here you go. Then I fought again a few months later and I had got a new contract.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

And it might have been 300,000. And then we sold a few hundred thousand pay per views and they called me and said, hey, we're going to give you X amount of dollars to get you back to a million dollars. Wow. They would do that, man. They were like. Because that's what people don't understand. Like, I know it's all, well, this guy. These guys are underpaid. But it's like when you become a champion and then you're benefiting the business.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

They take care of you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And. But even, even the lowest boxers make are so low, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Like the low that makes it seem like everybody making Floyd Mayweather money.

[Daniel Cormier]

They not.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And they're not.

[Daniel Cormier]

They are not all making that money, bro. They're making thousand dollars.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. I mean, they make good. Look, they like. But like you said.

[Daniel Cormier]

But the good guys will make good money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

What does a guy make that? So Tank and all them dudes are getting paid right now. They're in the millions. Yeah, but they're. They're the equivalent of the Iliad Poiriers.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

And the Israel Adesanya.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

They're. They're those guys.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

But as you go down. As you go down the card and you go down the pay scale.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

I bet it's all pretty equivalent or very equal. So, yeah, people talk about, like, all boxers make money. They don't.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You work for the company now in the commentary. But how is it negotiating with Dana as a fighter? Or did you. Did you negotiate with. You had managers.

[Daniel Cormier]

I have managers, but I was always really good about that. I would stand on what I believed. You know, one time I got. He was like, that didn't happen. I was like, but it did, boss. I was like, of course it did, boss. I said, we were negotiating my contract when I first came over, and I wanted, like, a certain amount of money. Didn't want to do it. Dana was like, kind of throwing a fit. Lorenzo goes, it's fine. We'll figure it out. And by the time I got to the airport, it was figured out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

Right. And he was like, that didn't happen. I was like, it did. It's not a big deal because I understand you have to protect your business.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

And I have to protect myself as a business because I have a small window to happen. But then when I was retiring, Right. Hunter Campbell, who now does a lot of the stuff with the guys, he calls my manager and he goes, so, guys, what do you think? Same as he made as champ, plus pay per view. Like, yeah, even though I wasn't a champ, they still gave me the same pay I made as the champion and the pay per view. So it's like, I have nothing negative to say because I've had all great experiences.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You've had great experience with it.

[Daniel Cormier]

The worst experience I had was that when he said, I don't want to give you that. And I was like, well, okay, then I'll just fight, and then I won't have a contract.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

And then we can negotiate after that. And they're like, we ain't doing that. We ain't gonna let you get to Francis.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

We ain't letting you get to undefeated heavyweight or light heavyweight with no contract where other people can start going, hey, we want you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

Right. So then eventually, I just re signed with the company.

[Shannon Sharpe]

If Dana were to ever step down, would you run the ufc?

[Daniel Cormier]

That would be a dream job for anybody. But of course, I would love to do something if. If they ever. If they ever trusted me with that, I would do the best job I ever could do. Because it's one of the greatest organizations in the world. It's one of the biggest sports organizations in the world.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yep.

[Daniel Cormier]

And they've done such a great job of building it that the job itself is just, don't. Don't it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Don't mess it up.

[Daniel Cormier]

Don't mess it up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

Cause Dana does. What he does is he's so passionate about it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, he is.

[Daniel Cormier]

That. I can't imagine the UFC without him. But if not.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But Dana stand on business now.

[Daniel Cormier]

He stand on business. You can be his best friend. He gonna get you. He gonna put. He gonna walk you out the door and say, ah. Hey, man, give me a little pour. Get that a little bit. I'm running out. You give me a little small pour right there. Yeah, hit me up. That's good. That's pretty good, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's great.

[Daniel Cormier]

I'm taking that bottle. You can take it. That's coming with me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nah, but we'll get your address. We'll send you and send em to your dad.

[Daniel Cormier]

My pops passed away, but.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, my bad. I'm sorry to hear that.

[Daniel Cormier]

It's okay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But we make sure you. We make sure you take care of.

[Daniel Cormier]

I will drink it in his honor. I'm gonna do exactly like him. My pops would show home. My pops had them hard days, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Daniel Cormier]

My pops was working a hard time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, if you stay in Louisiana. He grew up hard.

[Daniel Cormier]

Grew hard and working outside. My dad used to show up, sit in that truck for two hours because he knew hard day at work. Gotta come deal with us.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Yeah. He probably had to help couple dre to come in the house.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yes, he did. Yes, he did.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Joe Rogan. I didn't know a whole lot about Joe Rogan. I just knew him as the guy that Fear factor. So I didn't know that he became Joe Rogan.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause that's what I mean. Because I love Fear Factor. And then they just got too. They just got too ridiculous with it. Me, I was like, I can't do this no more. I mean, it was really good. The first couple of seasons was really, really good. And to see what he's turned into as a podcaster. But in the mma, in ufc, he's your Howard Cosell.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yes, he is. He's. He's. He's very good. He's.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, he is very, very good.

[Daniel Cormier]

I've never met a person that actually remembers more than Rogan. We go to dinner after the fights.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And he'll be talking about events@ UFC 15. And I'm like, UFC 15, was that in 2004, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We had. We had 300. Now you talk about 15.

[Daniel Cormier]

He's like, I'm telling you like this, but his memory to recall all these things. I've never seen anything like it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

But. Yeah. And. And. And Shannon, it says something when you do a job just for the love of doing the job when you don't have to do it right? Joe doesn't have to do ufc.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No he don't.

[Daniel Cormier]

With the Spotify thing that he has going on and everything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And Dana said that when he first started doing it, he did it for free.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, he love he called a fight.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He called a fight for free to like and you know then they worked it out something later but to just because he loved the sport so much and you know he fights and obviously you know he works at it and but he does an unbelievable job.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, he's tremendous man. I think he does a great job.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You can make a difference in someone's life, including your own with a job in home care. These jobs offer flexible schedules, health care, retirement options and free training. They also provide paid time off and opportunities for overtime. Visit oregonhomecarejobs.com to learn more and apply. That's oregonhomecarejobs.com.

[Sponsor Voice 3]

Running a business online look legit and own your own brand with professional tools from GoDaddy instantly build trust with your customers and boost your credibility with an email that matches your domain so people know you mean business. There's never been a better time. Just go to GoDaddy.com GDnow and choose from a wide variety of popular domains to find one that's right for you. Pair that with a professional email that works for all your business needs from daily communications to email marketing and everything in between. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. For a limited time, get a domain and matching professional email for just 99 cents a month for one year. Go to GoDaddy.comGdNow and look legit with GoDaddy. That's GoDaddy.comGdNow again. GoDaddy.comGdNow there's never been a better time to choose the domain and email that's right for you. New customer purchases only products Auto renew separately See terms on site godaddy.com gdnow okay real talk.

[Sponsor Voice 2]

Ever have one of those need it right now moments? Like the dog just chewed through a leash again. A kid's school project needs glitter glue tonight and somehow the toilet paper is gone. Yeah, that moment has happened to everyone. That's where Walmart Express delivery comes in. Clutch. Get all that pet stuff, school stuff, household stuff, all the stuff in as fast as one hour. One hour. That means chargers, diapers, candles, light bulbs, laundry detergent, real life rescue items. And it's all from Walmart. Just hop on the app. Order what's needed and boom, it's at the door. Before a toddler melts down or before halftime is even over. Yes, game day food can be delivered in an hour too. Try it now and get free delivery on a first order with promo code Express. That's free delivery on a first order with promo code Express. Walmart Express delivery in as fast as 1 hour. Promotion valid for the first express delivery order. $50. Men subject to availability restrictions apply this Labor Day.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Say goodbye to spills, stains and overpriced furniture with washablesofas.com featuring Anabe, the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly pricing. Sofas start at just $6.99, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Anibe's pet friendly stain resistant and interchangeable sofa slipcovers are made with high performance fabric built for real life. You'll love the cloud like comfort of hypoallergenic high resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time with modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your life. Now through Labor Day. Get up to 60% off site [e-mail] Every order comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees. Every penny back. Shop [e-mail] Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Daniel Cormier]

Job of calling the fights. And I think that he. You could tell his passion for it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

In everything. I mean, you guys do so you guys do like, I mean, hours and hours of TV a week. You got to love this too. You do or you can't do it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You can't do it.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah. And you can feel it. I can see it in you too. I've watched you from afar.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And I've admired how well you've done and how you've really broke. You've really broke through the glass ceiling because there was. There was an idea of who you were supposed to be at Fox.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And then eventually you said, this idea is not. It doesn't work for me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

And you became bigger than that idea. And now it's like, so. I'm so happy. I don't really know you well enough to say I'm proud of you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I appreciate it.

[Daniel Cormier]

But I'm happy for what you've done and what you've accomplished because you deserve it, man. Hard work deserves to get credit for it, and I appreciate that. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Let me ask you this. What have you most learned about money? Because growing up, how you grew up, you know, living off 1500 bucks a month, and you got a $1200 rent, and then basically I got to eat for the next 29 days. I got to live off 150 bucks.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Now that you have, you make decent money.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What have you learned about it?

[Daniel Cormier]

Money's hard to keep. Money is very hard to keep. That's what people don't understand. Money's hard to keep. You pay a lot. Pay a lot of taxes. You pay a lot of other things. It just gives you an opportunity. I feel like money gives you the ability. One, you're going to be exactly who you ever wanted to be.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

So if a person's ugly because they have money, they always were ugly. They just didn't have the ability to be ugly. You're going to be exactly who you want to be, and you have access to more things that you have. And I also learned that because you have the ability to pay for stuff, most things are free.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

Isn't that the craziest, crazy thing?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, you have the most money. They get the most stuff for free.

[Daniel Cormier]

When you are living off that 1500, you want to go buy, you want something, you got to pay for it. But when you have the money that you have and you can pay for it, everybody's like, could you please just take this? And I just want to see you have it. Hold it, Shannon. Could you just hold it?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

And you're like, okay. And most times you're like, I'd rather pay for it instead of hold it for you. It's like, it's just. It's just that. But also just that it gives you a free. It's. It's. It's freedom. It really is just freedom. Like, it's. It's a freedom to. To do things and take care of the people that you love more than anything. I bought my mom a house.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Daniel Cormier]

That was one of my greatest accomplishments.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

To have her get a big house. Right. And then my mom was a house cleaner whenever I was growing up. So she would take us to these people's houses. And while she worked, the people were beautiful. One family I still remember to this day called the Low family in Louisiana, Lafayette. She'd go Monday and Wednesday there. They gave us a car. They gave us like a brand new car. Just this wonderful family of people. I had. I made sure she had House cleaners when she was older. Wow. So instead of going to clean people's houses, like, those are the things that I'm so proud of in my life, in my career.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That you were able to do for your mom.

[Daniel Cormier]

To do for your mom. I mean, you know that you do.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely.

[Daniel Cormier]

It's like there are people in your life that mean more than anything, and that's. You take care of them.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Finding a mate, obviously wrestling, you know, ain't it like they come in the loop, like they beating down your door, say, oh, yeah, I want, I want. I want to wrestle. Because it's not like, you know, you're not on television. It's a hard job. It's a grimy job. Your moody. Some days are better than others. When you found a wife, how did you know?

[Daniel Cormier]

I've had multiple. So, yeah, you get. You get really. I'm not the best in love.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know what? And I tell. Someone was telling me this the other day. They said, shannon, the best and worst decision. When you made the best decision, did you know it was the best decision at the time?

[Daniel Cormier]

No, no.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When you made the worst decision, did you know it was the worst decision at the time? No.

[Daniel Cormier]

No. You just live with the decisions you make. That's all you can really do. But you. Part of being great is being selfish.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got to be.

[Daniel Cormier]

And when you're so selfish, it's hard for relationships to work.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely.

[Daniel Cormier]

And I think that is like, probably the thing that athletes need to worry about the most.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because got to find somebody that understands it.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yes. And not many people do.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They don't.

[Daniel Cormier]

It's really hard.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Everybody say they can be. Oh, I understand. Everybody can be second until they actually have to be second.

[Daniel Cormier]

Until also until everybody can be second when they don't have the moment. There's a comfortability to life. It's like, wait a minute. Everything that we hoped would happen has now happened. Now worry about. But it's not done yet. The job's never done.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[Daniel Cormier]

I feel like for high thinkers like you and myself to just retire, could you imagine that as like, you die, a part of you would die.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

And so for me, it's like, I need to be chasing career. I need to be.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I gotta work. I'm a worker.

[Daniel Cormier]

Gotta work. It's what I was put on this earth to do. But that can be seen as selfish.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It is.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And. But that's the. That's the only way you can become great.

[Daniel Cormier]

It's the only way.

[Shannon Sharpe]

There's. There. And greatness is not a Sometime thing. It's an all the time thing.

[Daniel Cormier]

It's an all the time thing. You don't get to be great just when you want to be great in front of people. You got to be willing to do that work behind closed doors. Yeah, but you don't never know anything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Your biological father was shot and killed by his second wife's.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yep, yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Father in self defense.

[Daniel Cormier]

Dude.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You remember that?

[Daniel Cormier]

Oh yeah, I remember. I remember watching Thanksgiving Day of 1986. We're at my aunt's house, Marjorie, we're all sitting down, we ate. We're all watching the Color Purple and my mom getting a call and she goes crazy. It was hysterical. I was a seven year old kid. I had no idea what was going on. My. Then they told her, your dad's just been killed. You're. You know, Jon has just been killed. Your ex has been killed. She goes crazy. She has to sit down now and tell me that my older brother is 12 years older than me. Imagine a 19 year old kid learning that his father's been killed. I'm at 7 just crying because I don't have the greatest memories. I don't have the. I don't have the memories of my.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Dad like the naked. Like your brother does.

[Daniel Cormier]

Like my brother does. But I also don't have like Shannon, I can retain one real vivid memory of my father, okay. And that was we were at a truck stop because he drove trucks. Okay? That's it. That's the only real vivid memory I have of my father. But my dad, Percy has had. Had already moved into my life when I was three.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

So I'm four years into that relationship with my mother. And it was just sad, man. And I remember going to that funeral and I see my dad in that casket. He's got two families, right? Because while my mom is not with him anymore, they have kids.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Her reaction told me that she still loved your dad.

[Daniel Cormier]

I don't think they ever fall out of love. It's like something that they don't really let go of, especially that first one. But my mom's sitting there with my dad and let me tell you, I knew my mom still loved my dad one time. I don't know if my dad. I don't quite understand if my dad was cheating. I don't know what it was, Shannon, but my mom took the car at a four way stop. The other woman was driving the other car. She hit her.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What?

[Daniel Cormier]

She hit her. My mom was an angel. You better hold.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Don't you better.

[Daniel Cormier]

My mom was an angel. Your mama play a bubble if you was an angel.

[Shannon Sharpe]

She played bubble cars and real cars, though.

[Daniel Cormier]

The cop said, why'd you hit her? She goes, that's my car too. That. This my car. That's my car. I want a record, Michael record. I said, oh, my God. But it was at a little red light. It was a bump. Yeah, but it wasn't like a hard hit. But she, like, she hit her. Yeah, but yes, but, yes. So, yes, she must have still loved my dad. But, yeah, it was. It was. It was awful.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You mentioned that your stepfather intervene came in your life at a very young age.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What did you learn from him?

[Daniel Cormier]

Everything. Everything. Percy Benoit was, man, he was the best. He was the best. He. He worked so hard. He made decisions, him and my mother, that made me appreciate them more than I. I don't know if I ever could appreciate anyone in my life. When we were like 7, 8 years old at that time, when my dad got passed, they. They decided not to take government assistance anymore. We want to make it on our own. We were struggling, but they did. They took no help. They just made it on their own. Then they bought their first house together. And then I watched that man get up in the morning, and he would go and work for the city of Lafayette. It was hot, man. It was 95, 100 degrees, 100 degree humidity. You know what Louisiana's like. He would. He would take the lime and make the baseball fields and cut the fields and the grass, and he would come home at 5:30, eat real quick, and he would get a bath because we didn't have a shower, jump in his truck and go to a pizza parlor and wash dishes to make an extra 60 bucks every time he did that, and he did that constantly. And then when I got old enough, I realized more what he was doing. One of the days that he wasn't going back to there, he was going to the cemetery and he was cutting it and he was weed eating next to the graves to make more money. So when I got old enough, he started taking me with him. And he's like, you get $35 a month, so every time you do this, I guess I made $8 or $10, right. Because it would take us a little bit of time. I learned to work. He taught me to work. And I think by him teaching me to work, it has defined my life. It's defined my life. I don't. I was the captain of the Olympic wrestling team. And it's because I worked hard. They saw me. They saw me and said, I Want this guy to lead our team?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Is that the type of father you are? You try to be with Percy, what you do to your own.

[Daniel Cormier]

That's what I try to be for my kids. I try to be present and show them I'm working, man. I'm making a life for you guys that can be. And I hope that you see and appreciate what I'm doing right. Because while I don't see the struggle, they don't see the struggle that I saw, they do see that their dad is willing to just. I took my daughters to a photo shoot I did for Monster Energy the other day, and they were like, dad, you work hard. I was like, I wanted to give you. Just kind of see what dad does when he gets up at 5am and he's back home by 6 to make sure you guys have dinner.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

Right. It's like those types of things, they mean the world to me. My dad was the best.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You lost your daughter?

[Daniel Cormier]

I did, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

18 wheeler accident.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, that was. That was the worst. That was the worst. I've had a lot of things happen in my life that. That I try not to let define me. Look, I try to like. I try not to let, like, certain things define me, like the bad. But, yeah, that was the worst. I. I was 23 years old. I had a daughter named Kaden Emory. And we were in college or just finished in college. So her mom was from Killeen, Texas.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Daniel Cormier]

And they were driving home to see her parents and. But her car didn't have air conditioning. And she was like, I'm gonna put my kid in the car with my friend because they have a newer car, right? Yeah. And he got rear ended by at Wheeler. That was the worst, man. If she was with her mom, she would have been fine. But we make these decisions at times that we think are the right decision, and it has killed her mom's life.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know what, dc? I was about to ask you. I bet she beat herself up. I should have just rolled the window down. She should have been with me.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yep. Her mom's life is.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It hadn't been the same, has it?

[Daniel Cormier]

No. That girl was on a track team at Oklahoma State. I went to school and she had such a big future. And now it's like she's at home taking care of her mother. That losing that kid, losing our kid, like, it killed her. I was able to spin it and say that every time I wrestle, every time I fight, I have an angel sitting on the cage to watch over me. Her mom was never able to do that it's sad, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

That was the worst thing that's ever happened.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because as parents, we expect our kids to bury us.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yes. We don't expect to bury a child not that young. Not that young, man. She's three and a half months old, so, like, to put her in a casket. Yeah. That shit sucks. Yeah. I even think, just thinking about it, like, it sucks.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Has it changed the relationship that you had with subsequent kid, that you hold them tighter, that you, like, you realize how. Just how fragile life is, that tomorrow is not promised. Even three hours from right now isn't promised.

[Daniel Cormier]

No, I know. Yeah. It's bad. To the point that, Shannon, at times you gotta, like, you have to. I have to, like, I have to, like, consciously try not to be as much of a. Like a helicopter parent. I'm trying to, like, because I know how important it is for them to experience things. But it is scary. Like, my. My son is getting older now. Like, I just started. I let him ride his bike to the barbershop now to get a haircut. That was something I could have never done. Like, never.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You talk about a bicycle or motorbike or motorcycle.

[Daniel Cormier]

One of those. Electric.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Electric bike. Okay. Electric. Okay. Okay.

[Daniel Cormier]

So I let everybody. But I always. But I make him put his location on the moment he leaves the house.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

Location on. So I'm trying, dude. But. Yeah, it's hard. It really has. It really has changed me in terms of parenting. You try. You try, right? It's important. Like, I did a lot growing up. I had a lot of freedom.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And gave me a little bit of, like, street smarts and ability to adjust and make my way around life.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, people probably wouldn't know this about you, but you've had a. I mean, you've had a lot of death in your family. Your grandmother, your cousin. You lost a child at a very young age. People ask me because they know how close I am with my grandmother. They would say, shannon, how did you get over. I say, you never get over it.

[Daniel Cormier]

No.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You just get better at dealing with it.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How have you been able to get.

[Daniel Cormier]

Better at dealing with loss? Well, at 20, when you lose a kid at that age, right. Like, you feel like nothing ever is going to feel worse. But I've. I've done. I've managed to. I've managed to learn how to take those things and try to make them push me forward.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Daniel Cormier]

So with my daughter, like, I had never made a United States team after my daughter passed, I made six in a row.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Daniel Cormier]

Swear to God. My daughter passed in June or in May of.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You had a bigger purpose?

[Daniel Cormier]

May of 20. Yes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That you didn't know.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yes. And from. By August, I wrestled in the world championships for the first time, then the Olympic Games, and all the way through my mom, when she passed a couple years ago. Obviously, I don't do anything competitive anymore, but in terms of my media career, it's just gotten bigger. Yep. Because I work harder now because I know that even though I don't have to provide for her in the way that I did before, I still need to work. Because she was proud of that work.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

I want to do more tv because she watched everything. Right. So even though she's not there watching now, like, I know she watched it all. So I try to. I try to spin it. It's the only way. Because otherwise it cripples you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It does.

[Daniel Cormier]

It really does cripple you. Like, you. And, like, I've heard stories about you and your grandmother, and it's like. And how special a lady she was to you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yep.

[Daniel Cormier]

But, yeah, you don't. You don't ever get over losing somebody you love that much. You can't.

[Shannon Sharpe]

This cutting weight thing, you said that in this Thanksgiving, you weigh 257.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And basically 45, 50 days, you were down to 204.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Obviously, that's very taxing on the body. Yes, it is very taxing to cut that kind of water weight, because that's not a. That's not all just, you know, good weight.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And you went into renal failure at one time, right?

[Daniel Cormier]

I did at the Olympic Games. Yeah. But I wasn't that big at the time. I was just in wrestling. I didn't have the access to the. I didn't have the access or the resources. I couldn't have done that without my chef.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

I had, like, Tyler Minton was working for me at the time. He. Every meal. Every meal, every drink, he would feed me, then he would write it down. He would feed me, then he would write it down. I got to drink a kombucha every day. That was it. Outside of water, that's all I had. And some sort of, like, electrolytes stuff to make sure I wasn't cramping.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

When I went to the. The cage to train. But outside of like, that, I had water and eat every meal. Here you go. And at the right times when I was wrestling, I would. I would eat until Wednesday, and then I just would not eat until I weighed in on Friday or Saturday. I'd go three days without Anything Mob dewalish really still does that. The champ at 135 years, he just will not eat.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I don't.

[Daniel Cormier]

You don't have to do it that way anymore. You don't. She's got money but yeah, I would. My kidneys quit on me at the Olympic games. Never in the hospital. I wasn't a diamond.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because they don't let you take diuretics, does it?

[Daniel Cormier]

Can't take diuretics, can't take IVs, can't do nothing. If I could have took an IV after weigh ins I'd have been fine.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

Right. It was right before the Olympic games that they did away with IVs. I didn't want to cheat. I didn't want to cheat my body, dude. It was. That was a.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What's the most weight you've had to cut?

[Daniel Cormier]

So by, by design. If I was fighting on, if I was fighting on Saturday when I showed up to Vegas on Tuesday I probably was like 220 if it was good. But I remember one time in New York against Rumble in Buffalo I was like 2:31 on Sunday.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

You can make a difference in someone's life, including your own with a job in home care. These jobs offer flexible schedules, health care, retirement options and free training. They also provide paid time off and opportunities for overtime. Visit oregonhomecarejobs.com to learn more and apply. That's oregonhomecarejobs.com.

[Sponsor Voice 3]

Running a business online. Look legit and own your own brand with professional tools from GoDaddy. Instantly build trust with your customers and boost your credibility with an email that matches your domain so people know you mean business. There's never been a better time. Just go to GoDaddy.com GDnow and choose from a wide variety of popular domains. To find one that's right for you. Pair that with a professional email that works for all your business needs from daily communications to email marketing and everything in between. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. For a limited time, get a domain and matching professional email for just 99 cents a month for one year. Go to GoDaddy.comGdNow and look legit with GoDaddy. That's GoDaddy.comGdNow again. GoDaddy.comGdNow there's never been a better time to choose the domain and email that's right for you. New customer purchases only products Auto renew separately. See terms on site godaddy.com gdnow okay real talk.

[Sponsor Voice 2]

Ever have one of those need it right now. Moments like the dog just chewed through a leash again. A kid's school project needs glitter glue tonight and somehow the toilet paper is gone. Yeah, that moment has happened to everyone. That's where Walmart express delivery comes in. Clutch. Get all that pet stuff, school stuff, household stuff, all the stuff in as fast as one hour. One hour. That means chargers, diapers, candles, light bulbs, laundry detergent, real life rescue items. And it's all from Walmart. Just hop on the app, order what's needed and boom, it's at the door before a toddler melts down or before halftime is even over. Yes, game day food can be delivered in an hour too. Try it now and get free delivery on a first order with promo code Express. That's free delivery on a first order with promo code Express. Walmart Express delivery in as fast as 1 hour. Promotion valid for the first express delivery order. $50. Men subject to availability restrictions apply this Labor Day.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Say goodbye to spills, stains and overpriced furniture with washablesofas.com featuring Anabe, the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly pricing. Sofas start at just $6.99, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Anabe's pet friendly, stain resistant and interchange interchangeable slipcovers are made with high performance fabric built for real life. You'll love the cloud like comfort of hypoallergenic, high resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time with modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your life. Now through Labor Day. Get up to 60% off site [e-mail] Every order comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees, every penny back. Shop [e-mail] Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Daniel Cormier]

Before the fight on Saturday.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What? 231 and you got to get down to 205.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, but I was like I was heavy, so I'd go run, lose like five pounds. You lose a lot of weight, Shannon.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And you drink a lot of water, right? Those. These nutritionists are so good at manipulating weight now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

You have no idea. So like if I'm like 217, 218, 220. Like 220.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Are you a sweet spot? You and your wheelhouse.

[Daniel Cormier]

Because? Because now I've got that with two gallons of water in a day.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

Right. That's £16 at minimum. So by the time I get in that sauna, I'm like, it all comes off, but it's only for a short period of time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

Like, I'm at 204 and a half for maybe an hour.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When you re. When you rehydrate. Yeah. What are you. What are you going back up to? You go rebound to what, 220. 225.

[Daniel Cormier]

When Jon Jones. When I fought Jon Jones and I was in peak physical condition.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

There was nothing I could do to get over 222. Like, I mean, literally train there for the last four weeks of camp because I was so locked in Right. When I fought Rumble Johnson, I weighed 231 on Saturday night. When I fought him the next day.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Daniel Cormier]

I weigh 205. Yeah. Two of. I gained 26 pounds overnight. That's too much. I felt so sluggish and horrible.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

But, yeah, I've cut a lot of weight. I used. You lose, like, ten pounds an hour, though, when you do those weight cuts.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow. Do you feel your height? I mean, because, like, you little, but probably a tick under six foot tall.

[Daniel Cormier]

I'm five. I've gotten shorter. I'm like five ten on a good day. Five, ten and a half. I'm. I've shrunk. Shannon, have you shrunk at all? Have you gotten shorter?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, I think so, too. I think as we get older, we shrink it. I believe I have. But. But when you. When you. You use, like, for. I would think somebody your size, your height would be ideal. Is ideal for wrestling.

[Daniel Cormier]

Oh.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because you. Because you got a short torso, but you got long legs.

[Daniel Cormier]

Compact. Yeah. And I'm good at getting close. Once I get. Once I could get. If I get. They say I'm sticky.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

If I get close to you, I'm sticking to you like you stuck in a fly trap.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

Like, seriously, it's like.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you tried to close the distance.

[Daniel Cormier]

Oh, if I got close, you're in trouble. If I can grab you by the head, I'm punching you uppercuts. If I can grab your leg, then you're really in trouble. Because I had a thousand ways to finish a takedown the moment I got your leg. You're in a lot of trouble.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Because I'm either gonna move here, left, right, up, down. It's all subtleties. It's the same thing. Like, how so, like, Shannon, I could actually try to guard you right now, and I Could not. Cause even if you might not be able to run as fast as you did, you're gonna give me something in the shoulders or something in the eyes that's gonna get some separation.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Correct.

[Daniel Cormier]

That's me and wrestling. I'm just like, here, here, here, here. And then get lost.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you like. It's funny, like, when you grab somebody here. Cause I'm watching these boxes, and you watch them close up. He'll throw a punch, and he put his hand up because he know what's coming. And he'll do this and he'll throw that. Oh, he'll do this and he'll do that. So, you know, like, if I got this, I know what he's going to do.

[Daniel Cormier]

Absolutely. I'll manipulate you to do what I want you to do.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, I'll manipulate you. That's why, like, my takedown offense, I think I might have landed 50% of my takedowns. 40.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Daniel Cormier]

They're like, dude, he only landed 40%. Like, yeah, but the first few aren't designed to take you down right there to set you up for number 4, 5, and 6.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When I really want to get you out.

[Daniel Cormier]

When I really want to get you out, then you get up in the air, I flip you or I trip you, or it's like. Yeah, it's like. It's all setups.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You mentioned boxing was your first love, though.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yep, I did, because it's all I knew. It's what we knew. Like, they would watch my uncles all watch the wild War, the sports every weekend, and we'd watch, like, George Foreman clips and Muhammad Ali clips, Mike Tyson. So it's like we're watching this greatness, and it looks like us, right? That is where the difference was. You watch that greatness, and it's like, wow, this dude looks like he could be where I'm from. And he's making. He's the man, right? He's a superstar. That's what drew me into boxing. Because every story was about a kid from a tough neighborhood.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Daniel Cormier]

He was from Michigan. He was from Louisville, Kentucky. He was from, like, just all these places.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The main streets.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, the main streets. Like, wait a minute. This looks very familiar. And look at him today, right? So, yeah, it just drew me in.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like, Bud and Canelo.

[Daniel Cormier]

That's a tough fight. I saw Bud recently. He's big.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Bud's bigger than you think.

[Daniel Cormier]

He's stronger than you think. Strong, too. Yo, Bud's son is ridiculous. We had WrestleMania right up the street. He got a belt. He walked past Me. And he was looking at me the whole time. He look at me, say, you the wrestler. I knocked you out on ufc. I was like, boy, you crazy. But he crazy. Bud told me he had to whip him. Bud said he went to Sean. What's his name? Sean Crawford. Sean Taylor. Sean. Sean.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Sean Porter.

[Daniel Cormier]

Sean Porter. Bud said that. Same what Shawn Porter said. My dad knocked you out. Shawn Porter had to call him and be like, your son's crazy, but I had to spank him. He crazy. But yes, he's bigger. It's a big time fight. Canelo better have his game ready.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Because if not, he gonna get beat by Bud.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, Bud. I mean, like I said, Bud. I mean, Bud walks. Bud fought at, you know, last fought at, you know, junior middleweight at 154, but Bud walks around in like 180.

[Daniel Cormier]

He's big, man. And he's tall, too. Yeah, he's very tall. He looked big. I saw him inside the Apex training. Yep, he looked big. You went watch him train, too? I.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, we did a interview with him, and I say he's stronger than you think.

[Daniel Cormier]

He's stronger than you could tell.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, he's stronger than you.

[Daniel Cormier]

Canelo got his hands full.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He does. You were bullied as a kid. Is that why you got into wrestling and fighting? Because you were bullied? You like, I ain't taking this ish no more.

[Daniel Cormier]

So I was bullied bad, Shannon.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay?

[Daniel Cormier]

Like, this guy used to beat me up all the time. He would beat me up for no reason. It was like, no reason to fight me. He would just pick on me. If they could have three other kids fight, he would show up to watch the fight. The ones that fight was over, he's like, I might as well give me one until they get a dub. I was scared, too. I was so scared of him. And then I learned to wrestle. Once I got him, it was over, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

Once I got him, once it was over. But yeah, yeah, it gave me self defense. I think wrestling is so important for kids because then you learn to defend yourself. And also it gives you a confidence. I got this academy in my. In Gilroy, the Daniel Corey Wrestling Academy. Kids walk in there hunched over, looking, like, scared, right? Because the ones that have been doing it for a while have this intensity about them. They're strong, they're confident, right. Six months later, they're like, walking in with some. I'm like, okay, yeah, this what I need. That's what wrestling gives you. I think it's the best, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Have you ever been arrested for street fighting.

[Daniel Cormier]

One time, I got arrested in college when I was a freshman. I punched a guy, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What do you do?

[Daniel Cormier]

So I went to junior college in Kansas, and one of the biggest mistakes that young black men make when they go to different places is they almost try to recreate themselves. You can be a great kid, but you will portray yourself as a gangster or a bad guy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

Because you want people to not only respect you, you want to make sure you fit in, and they kind of fear you a little bit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yep.

[Daniel Cormier]

It's, like, very important. So I did that, and I'm at this party, and we go to this party, and the guy comes out, and it's his house, and he starts talking, and he said something that I viewed as disrespectful when he came charging towards me. So I punched him, bro. I don't know if his jaw was, like, super, like, loose. He went to sleep, he went down, and his jaw broke really bad. So blood's, like, everywhere. We run off, me and all my wrestler friends. The cops come to get us. We're in Kansas. I was like, well, I saw this Mexican dude do it and run away. He said, nah, man, it was you. It was you, Eric.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You don't try to put it off on somebody.

[Daniel Cormier]

I try to put it on a Mexican dude, man. I was like, yeah, I ain't got many brown people out here. They ain't got many brown people out here. They said, no, it was you. They put me in jail. I was crying, dude. Then they put. They put me in jail on a Friday night, Shannon. And in those little towns, oh, you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Don'T get till Monday.

[Daniel Cormier]

And then once Monday come. They got 72 hours to see.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

But they kept me in jail till Wednesday.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Damn.

[Daniel Cormier]

I was crying. My mom, actually. To pay them to pay to get me out, she had to take, like, put it up against her house.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Daniel Cormier]

To get me out of jail. She put her house on the line as a. As counter for the.

[Shannon Sharpe]

For the bail.

[Daniel Cormier]

For the bail. Yep. And then I was like, this woman will do anything for me. I'm the one that messed up, Right? I ran her phone bill up, calling her every day. Thousands of thousands of dollars. They ain't had nothing to pay that. But she answered it every time. That's why she was the best to me. Everybody like, oh, you love your mama more than you love anybody in the world. I was like, you saw what she did for me. She was the best.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You tried some. Everything. You sold drugs as a kid. You tried to.

[Daniel Cormier]

Shannon. I was a Bad drug dealer. What?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what?

[Daniel Cormier]

So, Shannon, you don't want to hear this story? Shannon, we made horrible. We made fake drugs one time. Oh, Lord, Shannon.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So would you cut grass and just put.

[Daniel Cormier]

This was when I was a kid. No, no, no, no. Back when I was growing up, it wasn't weed. It was crack. I tried to sell crack. Shannon. I was broke. I needed $20, bro, you don't know how to cook. I don't know how to cook. I don't know nothing about it. But listen to what we did, though. We took some wax.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And put or gel on it. Cause I guess that it must numb the face or something. One of my friends told me that one. He was.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

So I gave it to the drug. I gave it to the dude.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You gave it to the dude?

[Daniel Cormier]

He gave me the money. He. He's dark. He look up. I took off running. I took off, man. He called me, man. He called you money back. I gave him an age ago, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got me. You done ate the crack now. You out of this.

[Daniel Cormier]

That was the last time. That was the last time I ever tried some stupid shit like that. I was like, man, sports, for me, it was bad.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Could a boxer ever be the MMA fighter in a street fight?

[Daniel Cormier]

No. No. They would get taken down. It would happen too fast. I saw James Tony fight Randy Couture. James Tony was one of the slickest, best boxers of all time. He tapped without actually tapping. Randy, he just waved at the ref like, save me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

That's what happens when boxers fight. The baddest man on the planet. The baddest man on the planet is a mixed martial arts fighter. Nothing else in terms of hand to hand combat.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah. The baddest man on the planet is the UFC heavyweight champion every time. Unless Francis Ngannou is out there fighting for someone else.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Daniel Cormier]

Then there's a chance that he's the baddest man on the planet.

[Shannon Sharpe]

There's a chance it might be somebody else.

[Daniel Cormier]

He might beat whoever we have because he's that good. But if not, it's either Tom Aspinall, Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones right now. Those are the baddest men on the planet. Nobody else.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We come back and have a conversation five years, 10 years from now.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What's DC doing?

[Daniel Cormier]

Probably the same thing. Probably doing the same thing. Working UFC fights. I love my job. I love calling fights. I think I have the best job in the world.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yep.

[Daniel Cormier]

Podcasting, doing television. Same. Because I don't think that right now, I don't think that right now I'm willing to stop you. Like we said earlier, you're a worker. I'm a worker. I just might be living in the town, wherever my son or my daughter goes to college. I just can't let it go. I told my daughter the other day, if you. I said, pick a school close and I'll pay everything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

She wants to get far away.

[Daniel Cormier]

She wants. I mean, you thinking of colleges yet? She goes, what? No. She goes, dad, I'm 13. I go, could you go to Cal or, like, stay close? I go, I'll pay your rent. I'll give you a stipend. I'll do everything. She was like, no, you don't have to. You're. You're good. You want to get away from my ass.

[Shannon Sharpe]

My man, Cormier.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yes. You're the man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Is it Cormier or Cormier?

[Daniel Cormier]

Cormier.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cormier.

[Daniel Cormier]

Cormier. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Dc.

[Daniel Cormier]

That was good. All my life Been grinding all my life Sacrifice, hustle, paid the price Want a slice, got to roll the dice that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life all my life Been grinding all my life Sacrifice, hustle, paid the price Wanna slice, got to roll a dice that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life.

[Sponsor Voice 2]

Ever go to McNachos on game day and realize the cheese is missing? Or the chips or both? It happens all the time. But check it Walmart Express Delivery gets what's needed in as fast as one hour. One hour, people. And it's not just food. It's phone chargers, pet supplies, toilet paper. Try it now and get free delivery on a first order with promo code Express. Walmart Express delivery in as fast as 1 hour. Promotion valid for first express delivery. Order $50 men subject to availability restrictions apply.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Every business has an ambition. PayPal open is the platform designed to help you grow into yours with business loans so you can expand and access to hundreds of millions of PayPal customers worldwide. And your customers can pay all the ways they want with PayPal, Venmo, pay later and all major cards so you can focus on scaling up when it's time to get growing. There's one platform for all business PayPal open grow today at paypalopen.com loans subject to approval in available locations.

[Daniel Cormier]

Ugh.

[Sponsor Voice 2]

Come on.

[Daniel Cormier]

Why is this taking so long?

[Shannon Sharpe]

This thing is ancient.

[Daniel Cormier]

Still using yesterday's tech Upgrade to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultra Light, ultra powerful and built for serious productivity with Intel Core Ultra processors, blazing speed and AI powered performance. That keeps up with your business, not the other way around.

[Sponsor Voice 3]

Whoa, this thing moves.

[Daniel Cormier]

Stop hitting snooze on new tech. Win the tech [e-mail] Lenovo Lenovo unlock AI experiences with the ThinkPad X1 carbon powered by Intel Core Ultra processors so you can work, create and boost productivity all on one device.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Does friendly have a taste? If it does, it's probably like hello's Peppermint Flavored Anti Plaque and Whitening toothpaste. Brush away plaque, show tartar who's boss and remove surface stains to naturally whiten. Hello's thoughtful and flavor forward products make brushing your teeth feel like a confetti filled bathroom dance party. So say hello to hello with the always cruelty free Never tested on Animals toothpaste that's made to spread slightly smiles. Visit helloproducts.com and let hello add some everyday yay into your life.

[Daniel Cormier]

This is an iHeart podcast.