Daniel Cormier didn’t have his first professional mixed martial arts fight until he was 30.
Oh sure, he had a world-class athletic career before MMA, which was his second love. The former Oklahoma State wrestler represented Team USA in freestyle wrestling at the 2004 Olympic Games before he even gave fighting a thought. And yes, wrestling is one of MMA’s most important foundations, so Cormier’s credentials helped him transition from the jump.
But it takes years to figure out how to properly mix the martial arts, and from that perspective, what DC accomplished in 11 blindingly fast years was nothing short of remarkable.