Cormier Taking First Step in New Journey

Daniel Cormier is ready to begin his career in MMA tonight against Gary Frazier.

Daniel Cormier is getting better every day.

The former Olympian has taken to mixed martial arts with a child-like enthusiasm, and is starting to see results just five weeks after he started training.

“I’m working hard and I’m really paying attention and learning,” Cormier told MMAMadness.com. “The thing that I’ve heard from Crazy Bob [Cook] and Javier Mendez is that I’m improving as a fast rate. If I continue to do that, I’m going to pick the standup game up. Bob told me, ‘you may not believe this, but standup I’m really not that worried about. You’re doing well.’ Bob doesn’t lie, so I believe him.”

Cormier is doing so well, in fact, that he will make his professional debut with Strikeforce this Friday at “Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings.”

Cormier credits his management and Scott Coker for putting him in this position.

“That’s the important of having good management,” Cormier said. “They really fought for me to get on this card. Scott Coker and the organization were willing to take me on based on credentials and faith in me, giving me an eight fight contract. It’s just amazing. It took a lot of things coming together and I’ve truly been blessed with this opportunity.”

Cormier will face Gary Frazier, a wrestler who earned two high school state titles and is also making his professional debut after just one amateur fight.

While training for someone with no video to study can be difficult, Cormier points out that the struggle is a two-way street.

“He has no video on me. All he can watch is wrestling so it will be interesting,” Cormier said. “I’ve just got to feel confident in the fact that I’ve done everything correctly in training. I’m confident in the training that I’ve had over the past five weeks and hopefully that’s enough.”

Cormier is also aware that his name and background are big incentives for Frazier.

“I’m pretty sure he’s looking at it as a great opportunity to throw himself on the map,” Cormier said.

Part of Cormier’s rapid ascension can be credited to the fighters and trainers at American Kickboxing Academy, where Cormier trains.

“It’s the best camp in the world if you ask me,” Cormier said. “They’ve really embraced me. The best thing about being a wrestler and wrestling at the highest level of the sport is those guys are wrestlers too and they respect me for that. It’s positive, every day I love it.”

Cormier is even rooming with UFC standout Josh Koscheck, and says that training with guys like him and Cain Velasquez has been very beneficial.

Even days before his fight, Cormier continues to train had.

“I’m just staying the course, training hard, not sitting on my butt waiting for this fight,” Cormier said. “I’m still kind of pushing through it, hitting mitts and working this week to keep my cardio up and take it to a new level. In the last few days, there’s still work to be done and that’s really what I’ve been trying to do.”

Dedication is nothing new for Cormier. Before MMA, he invested his life into wrestling. After being at the pinnacle of that sport, Cormier is enjoying starting over.

“The thing about the Olympics is that it was a lifelong dream,” Cormier said. “It was the culmination of a career when it comes to wrestling, but this is only the beginning of this journey. I’m starting a whole new journey in my life and I’m really just excited.”

Tonight, Cormier will look to make the first step on that journey a positive one.