"This is my yard" - When Daniel Cormier clapped back at WWE star Roman Reigns for dissing his UFC commentator job
Daniel Cormier and WWE megastar Roman Reigns are no strangers to one another. Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Cormier has previously engaged in a war of words against 'The Big Dog' aka 'The Tribal Chief'.
A longtime WWE fan, 'DC' even attended WrestleMania 31 in March 2015 and cheered as WWE superstar Seth Rollins pulled off the 'Heist of the Century.'
Besides, Cormier has long served as an analyst and commentator for the UFC. Back in 2021, 'DC' and Roman Reigns were engaged in a lighthearted back-and-forth on social media. Putting forth a tweet, the MMA personality suggested that he'd like to face Reigns, possibly in the WWE.
WWE personality and Reigns' on-screen advocate, Paul Heyman, chimed in and jibed at Daniel Cormier. Heyman indicated that Cormier didn't tag the correct X handle while addressing his client.
Moreover, Heyman jabbed that Cormier would be a WWE enhancement talent at best. He further harked back to the time 'DC' was shoved across the UFC's octagon during his face-off against former UFC heavyweight champion and WWE icon Brock Lesnar.
For his part, Reigns alluded that Cormier retired from MMA in August 2020 and has primarily been working at the announcer's table as an analyst and commentator. 'The Big Dog' downplayed Cormier's toughness, joked about his commentary job, and tweeted:
"That announce table got him acting soft."
Not one to be outdone, Cormier responded in a lighthearted fashion and jested that his advisor, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, would mediate a potential WWE match deal between himself (Cormier) and Reigns.
Asking then-WWE head honchos Vince McMahon and Paul 'Triple H' Levesque to make the match a reality, 'DC' used a popular Reigns catchphrase: "This is my yard." Cormier tweeted:
"My advisor @arielhelwani is waiting by the phone. Its time to stop talking and let’s make this real! I’m 42 years old with a bad back and I’m whippin you any day of the week. Your move @VinceMcMahon @HHH this my yard, I’m the big dog!"
Daniel Cormier recounts making his WWE debut at Extreme Rules
Over the years, Daniel Cormier has often expressed his interest in potentially performing as a WWE superstar or being involved in WWE on-screen storylines in a non-wrestling role. The latter materialized in October 2022 when Cormier made his WWE debut as a special guest referee at WWE Extreme Rules.
Daniel Cormier officiated an MMA-style Fight Pit match featuring Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle. On ESPN MMA's DC & RC podcast, the UFC Hall of Famer implied that he was nervous. 'DC' pointed out, however, that he was ultimately successful in performing his duties as the special guest referee. Revisiting it, Cormier said:
"I was in the back and I was nervous, because obviously you know the outcome, I started forgetting the match, I was like oh my goodness. I forgot the [ending], I was so nervous bro, but once I walked out there bro, it was so fun!"
Watch Cormier's assessment below (4:06-5:00):