Daniel Cormier Makes Big Admission About His WWE Guest Referee Work

Daniel Cormier has fought in numerous UFC main events, and been on the headset for numerous others, so one would assume he's an old hat when it comes to standing in front of thousands of people. But apparently his recent appearance in WWE, refereeing the Fight Pit Match between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle, had him sweating.

"I was in the back and I was nervous," Cormier explained to ESPN MMA. "I started forgetting the match, I was like, 'Oh my goodness.' I forgot the pin, I kept having to ask questions. I was so nervous bro." 

Cormier says that despite his nerves, he found solid footing once he walked out the curtain into Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Arena. "It was so fun. The energy of the crowd is second to none." 

According to Cormier, he's fought in front of "bigger crowds" than the 15,000+ that were reported in Philly, "but ultimately that's a shoot, I'm gonna fight, I'm gonna do what I gotta do." Remembering all the points in the match was tricky for Cormier, and the crowd's energy eventually turned on him as well. "I got fans heckling me, they're calling me [Family Matters patriarch] 'Carl Winslow,' they're saying 'DC, climb the cage,' I'm like, 'I'm not going up there with these dudes!'" 

Cormier almost lost himself in the finish of the Fight Pit Match. "They're wrestling on this little ledge, bro, and then Riddle jumped off, and I couldn't believe I was actually in that moment."

While Cormier enjoyed the energy from the crowd and the match's wilder moments, his favorite part? "I essentially got to be [UFC referee] Herb Dean!"