The Daniel Cormier Show - Ben Askren & Daniel Cormier on Ben's double lung transplant recovery, DC vs. Jon Jones match, Khabib

You’re finally looking like yourself again; it’s the champ back on the mic after a long break, and man, Vegas went from hype to a nightmare in a snap.

I’m starting to feel normal, then I’ll hit a wall and remember, oh right, I had a lung transplant; Vegas wasn’t the cause—back pain sent me to the ER May twenty‑eight, and I went back the next day thinking it was just a spasm.

My wife pushed me to return after she filmed me sleeping weird and showed doctors; I walked into the same hospital and then nothing, just a blank stretch of about forty days.

Seeing a training clip with Rafael Lovato hit me hard because I thought that might’ve been my last real session, though I’m hopeful I’ll mix it up with the lighter guys again.

We all thought we might never sit here again, and I bugged Amy nonstop; what got you through is that champion engine most people don’t have, but did you ever pop in and out during that time?

I don’t remember it—only stories and clips of me being wild, like flipping off nurses and asking my wrestlers to bust me out; the toughest part is knowing my family lived every uncertain day while I slept through it.

I knew you were back when you ‘won’ at my house by rolling a disc downhill and Amy called you out; let’s pivot to MMA—Khabib says the UFC favors loud sellers over quiet grinders, especially Russians, do you buy that?

Conor could really fight, but in general it’s style, charisma, and business over pure merit—strikers over wrestlers, big personalities over quiet killers—and I felt that in twenty‑thirteen when I couldn’t get in; I agree with Khabib, and I don’t see Dana changing it.

Fans still pull a lot of the strings, which is why Sean O’Malley and Paddy Pimblett got rocket boosters while a clear number one like Arman Tsarukyan waits.

Star‑making is weird—Demetrious Johnson was brilliant and creative and still didn’t catch fire—while guys like Kevin Holland or Derek Lewis connected; and Nate Diaz turned vibe into a movement even with a middling record, and his fanbase is ferocious.

So did Khabib rise despite the machine, or because dominance sells no matter what?

He and Islam had charm by just being themselves—dry lines, simple threats, and relentless control—and it worked without forced trash talk.

Dominance is the ultimate magnet.

Yet DJ did video‑game stuff and still struggled early, and Jon didn’t talk much but blew up once the rivalry with you lit up.

Justin Gaethje’s fighting Paddy and already eyeing Ilya Topuria, saying the fear of that matchup excites him; how do you explain craving the thing that scares you?

Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s doing the hard thing anyway—danger creates opportunity—so if you only face easy guys, you never grow, which is why I love Justin’s mindset.

Topuria shuts off people who don’t get shut off, and those moments gave me the same charge I felt before NCAA finals; over time I learned those nerves weren’t panic, they were my readiness signal.

I miss that walk‑out feeling—you have to earn it, and once it’s gone you realize how special it was.

Does Ilya trigger a different kind of fear?

One‑shot danger demands respect without freezing you—Rumble had that too—and I admit I didn’t treat Jorge as a real threat and my senses were dulled from so many rounds.

Let’s hit Real American Freestyle Wrestling—what you guys built gives diehards a pro scene, and now Henry Cejudo is set to wrestle Urijah Faber; and yes, Henry can’t retire for long.

I stepped away from MMA but not wrestling; generally MMA guys can’t hang with active specialists, Henry’s peak was a while ago and Urijah stays sharp, so on paper I lean Henry’s credentials but I’m eager to see how it looks.

I’m glad he’s not getting tossed in with a hammer like Bo Bassett—could Henry beat him today?

Bo’s a terror and Henry would need reps, and our matchmaking group spaces things out with monthly Fox Nation cards, avoids trials season, and pairs MMA names with comparable wrestlers—Belal hung in more than expected with David Carr, we’ve booked Makayev versus Bryce Meredith, and Yoel just handled Pat Downey like he never left.

Yoel still wrestles the rule set, and Luke Rockhold is wrestling Colby soon; Colby’s a true collegiate guy.

Pure wrestling timing like dropping to a knee fades when you live in MMA, and that difference shows up fast.

One day Real American Freestyle Wrestling will see me and Jon Jones on a mat, and I’m taking that one; for Ben, I’m DC, it’s great to have him back and thriving—until next time, peace.