UFC 182 was an emotional night for Daniel Cormier, who came up short in his quest for the light heavyweight title against nemesis Jon Jones.
As he exited an arena filled with thousands Saturday night, Cormier crossed back over the broken threshold of reality into the waiting arms of longtime friend and training partner Cain Velasquez. UFC Espanol posted a Vine of the emotional embrace Sunday:
In an interview with Submission Radio, retired UFC middleweight Chris Leben explained that the life of a fighter is only warranted with 15 or 25 minutes of glory—maximum. The rest is all “blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice.”
It’s hard to fathom all of the hours wasted away in a training room only to come up short for a world title on the biggest stage. The enormity of the disappointment felt by Cormier after dropping a unanimous decision to Jones cannot be quelled by rudimentary phrases like, “it’ll be OK” or “you did your best.”
Sure, both of those phrases are absolutely true. Cormier fought like a warrior against arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history, and odds are, he’ll work his way back to a rematch one day.
Moments of disappointment are remedied over time by understanding. Velasquez didn’t have to say anything to Cormier. As a fighter and someone who has lost in a title fight, he understood every emotion running through Cormier’s veins without uttering a single word.
For years, fans have often criticized both Velasquez and Cormier for refusing to fight one another at heavyweight, but moments like this prove the very essence of a deep relationship that has developed between these two warriors.
They aren’t just training partners. They are brothers.
Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Fanrag Sports.
