Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is a self-professed pro wrestling fan. Next weekend, he’ll finally get a chance to appear at a WWE event — though not as a wrestler.
Cormier, 43, will serve as a special guest referee for the “Fight Pit” match between former UFC fighter Matt Riddle — now a top WWE star — and Seth “Freakin'” Rollins. Ariel Helwani broke the news Saturday, which was subsequently confirmed by the WWE’s official social media accounts.
👀 Get all the details this Monday on #WWERaw, 8/7c on @USA_Network! https://t.co/WHk91sq5ra
— WWE (@WWE) October 2, 2022
Cormier, who finished his fighting career with a record of 22-3, 1NC, was a decorated amateur wrestler and U.S. Olympic team member. Making the jump to MMA in 2009, he would win heavyweight gold in Strikeforce, winning it all in the promotion’s stellar heavyweight grand prix.
When Strikeforce was gobbled up by the UFC, Daniel Cormier eventually moved to light heavyweight rather than clash with teammate Cain Velasquez, then the UFC heavyweight champion. Cormier would become embroiled in a memorable rivalry with Jon Jones, before eventually becoming the UFC’s 205lb champ — and later, with Velasquez no longer active, heavyweight champ as well.
Since his retirement in 2020, the UFC Hall of Fame member has served as an analyst on UFC broadcasts. Now, he’ll appear on WWE TV — years after a fight with Brock Lesnar was teased in a WWE-style confrontation inside the octagon. The fight never came to fruition.
WWE Extreme Rules takes place in Philadelphia, PA on October 8, 2022.
