"I was crying" - Daniel Cormier recalls getting arrested as college freshman after violent altercation at house party

Daniel Cormier recently recalled getting in serious legal trouble for a violent altercation during his teenage years after a house party fight got out of control.

Cormier is undoubtedly among the most well-known personalities in MMA and is widely considered to be among the greatest fighters ever. The former two-division UFC champion currently serves on the promotion's broadcast team.

In a recent interview with Shannon Sharpe, Cormier explained how getting bullied as a young boy pushed him toward wrestling and how learning the sport can benefit kids. After being asked if he ever got arrested for using his skills outside the cage, Cormier answered in the affirmative and said:

"One time. I got arrested in college, I was a freshman. I punched a guy, man. I went to junior college in Kansas... I'm at this party, and this guy comes out. It's his house. He starts talking, and he said something that I viewed as disrespectful, and then he came charging toward me. So I punched him... He went down and his jaw broke really bad, so blood is everywhere."

He continued:

"We run off, me and my wrestling friends. The cops came to get us... They put me in jail, and I was crying, dude. They put me in jail on a Friday night, Shannon... They kept me in jail till Wednesday. I was crying. My mom actually, to pay to get me out, she had to take [money] and put it up against her house. To get me out of jail, she put her house on the line for the bail."

Catch Daniel Cormier's comments below (2:08:55):

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Daniel Cormier explains why learning how to wrestle is important for children

In the same interview, Daniel Cormier recalled how he was bullied during his younger days and how wrestling helped him gain the confidence to defend himself. He also explained how learning how to wrestle could benefit kids and give them the confidence to deal with similar situations.

Speaking to Shannon Sharpe, Cormier outlined how kids at his Daniel Cory Wrestling Academy change over time and said:

"I was bullied bad, Shannon. Like this guy used to beat me up all the time... I was scared, too. I was so scared of him. And then I learned to wrestle. Once I got him, it was over, man."

He continued:

"I think wrestling is so important for kids because then you learn to defend yourself, and also it gives you confidence. I got this academy in Gilroy, the Daniel Cory Wrestling Academy. Kids walk in and they're hunched over looking like scared, right? Because the ones that have been doing it for a while have this intensity about them. They're strong. They're confident, right? Six months later, they're like walking in with some [courage] and I'm like, "Okay, this is what I need." That's what wrestling gives you." [2:07:50 mark]