A veteran of 26 fights during his 11-year professional MMA career, Cormier compiled a record of 22-3, 1 NC (18-3, 1 NC UFC / Strikeforce), notching victories over former UFC heavyweight champions Stipe Miocic, Frank Mir, and Josh Barnett, as well as former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, UFC 17: REDEMPTION middleweight tournament and former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson, and former Cage Warriors super heavyweight champion Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. He also secured notable wins over Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Johnson, and Derrick Lewis.
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Cormier made his professional MMA debut during STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS: KENNEDY vs CUMMINGS on September 25, 2009, defeating Gary Frazier via TKO (punches) in the second round. Cormier would then defeat his next 10 opponents, becoming the King of the Cage heavyweight champion and winning the 2012 Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix before joining UFC.
Cormier made his UFC debut against Frank Mir during UFC on FOX: HENDERSON vs MELENDEZ on April 20, 2013. Cormier defeated Mir via unanimous decision and followed with victories over Roy Nelson, Patrick Cummins, and Dan Henderson, to earn his first shot at the UFC light heavyweight title against UFC Hall of Famer Jon Jones at UFC 182.
UFC 182: JONES vs CORMIER took place on January 3, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and served as the first UFC main event of Cormier’s career. Cormier would lose his first title shot to Jones via unanimous decision, but the title would be vacated three days later, as it was revealed that Jones failed his pre-fight drug test.
Cormier was granted his second opportunity to claim his first UFC championship when he faced Anthony Johnson for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 187: JOHNSON vs CORMIER 2. In that event, which took place on May 23, 2015, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Cormier dominated the first two rounds before submitting Johnson via rear-naked choke in the third to capture his first UFC title.
Cormier would then win four of his next five fights over three years, defending the light heavyweight title three times in the process. Cormier returned to the heavyweight division to face champion Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 226: MIOCIC vs CORMIER, which took place on July 7, 2018, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
After grappling with Miocic across the Octagon, Cormier connected with a short right hand with 27 seconds remaining in the first round to defeat Miocic via TKO. The win etched his name into the record books as he became only the second athlete in UFC history to hold two divisional titles simultaneously.