Advertisement

UFC dual-champ Daniel Cormier boasts of flawless 17-year drug testing history

Daniel Cormier is one of the most outspoken anti-doping advocates in the sport, mainly because he’s been subjected to thorough testing for the better part of two decades.

From his time as an Olympic-level wrestler to becoming the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, Cormier (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) has been rigorously drug tested by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). After providing 67 different samples dating back to 2001, “DC” has never had so much as a false flag on his record.

In a sporting landscape where performance-enhancing drug use is a widespread issue, Cormier felt it was necessary to remind the world of his history (via Instagram):

This is my @USADA testing history, from wrestling to MMA. 67 tests!!!!!! 0 issues!!!!! Know what your taking. It’s your job!!!!! No excuses!!!! Fight clean!!! All the cheaters out there suck! #cleanathlete #12yearstested #honestfighter

Although Cormier, 39, has proven to be a clean fighter, his MMA career has still been largely influenced by failed drug tests. Most notably, of course, is how it has impacted his rivalry with former UFC champ Jon Jones (21-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC).

A failed drug test from Jones scratched a UFC 200 bout with Cormier in July 2016. Another one caused Jones’ knockout victory over Cormier at UFC 214 in July 2017 to be overturned to a no-contest, and “Bones” was forced to hand the UFC’s 205-pound title back to Cormier.

Cormier has also faced a number of other opponents who at one point in their career have encountered a drug testing issue, including Anderson Silva, Frank Mir and Josh Barnett.

The next fight for Cormier also includes someone with a sketchy past. He is expected to defend his title against Brock Lesnar (5-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC), who is still serving a USADA suspension, early next year. Cormier made it clear he won’t be doing that without thorough testing, though.

“Brock’s got to be clean,” Cormier said after his latest victory. “I’m not going to fight him if he’s not clean. We’ll do USADA testing, and we’ll do other testing. We’ll do testing above USADA to make sure this man’s clean, because I’m not going to fight him if he’s cheating. I’ve done that on a number of occasions already (with others). I don’t want to fight him if he’s dirty, man. Do it the right way.”

For more on the UFC schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

More News