According to a press release from USA Wrestling, UFC light heavyweight Daniel Cormier has accepted the role of Honorary Captain for the 2014 Freestyle Wrestling World Cup Team (via Themat.com)
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Daniel Cormier, a two-time Olympian in men’s freestyle wrestling and an undefeated star with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, will serve as the Honorary Captain of the 2014 U.S. Freestyle World Cup Team.
Under the guidance of Team Leader Andy Barth, Cormier will captain the U.S. team at the Freestyle Wrestling World Cup, at the Forum, presented by Chase, March 15-16 in Inglewood, Calif. The World Cup is the annual international dual meet championships, and will feature the top 10 men’s freestyle wrestling teams in the world.
“It will be great to be part of the World Cup team. As an athlete, I wrestled on a few World Cup teams. To be welcomed by USA Wrestling, the coaches and the team means a lot to me,” said Cormier.
National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones is pleased that Cormier will be in Los Angeles as part of the team.
“In team sports, a captain is a title that is given to an athlete on the team. A captain on the United States Wrestling Team is a person that represents honor and respect and Daniel epitomizes that. We know he’ll be there to help and support his USA Wrestling teammates, especially in the heat of the battle. We know Daniel will take the responsibility of helping the team when they step out on the mat and have them ready,” said Jones.
USA Wrestling’s naming of Cormier as the Honorary Captain has added significance for two reasons. First, USAW and Cormier have not interacted in an official capacity since his weight debacle at the 2008 Olympics, with this in mind, his Honorary Captaincy represents an important gesture of forgiveness. Second, this would mark the first time that USAW has directly associated itself with a prominent UFC star as a means of promoting a wrestling event. This shows a strengthening of the ties between the sports of wrestling and MMA, and the fact that USA Wrestling is really making an effort to get the word out about the upcoming World Cup.
On March 15, Los Angeles hosts this year’s World Cup of Wrestling. This event functions as a team dual-meet competition between the top finishing nations from last year’s World Championships in Budapest. Bloody Elbow will provide extensive coverage of this event.