Daniel Cormier, a former UFC champion, shared a wild story about landing in the hospital after an allergic reaction to a chicken marinade he made for his kids. He also recounted a scary moment when he nearly stabbed himself while cutting open a mattress. Both incidents came up during the latest episode of his ESPN podcast, Good Guy Bad Guy, with co-host Chael Sonnen.
Cormier’s Health Scare and Mattress Incident
Cormier told Sonnen, “I ended up in the hospital the other day Chael. I think it was this new marinade I made with my kid’s chicken. Bro, I had an allergic reaction. Benadryl didn’t work so I started scratching, I had hives all the way up my body from my legs to my neck. My nose and everything started swelling. I had to go to the hospital to get it done. It was bad Chael. I’ve got like scratches all over my body from just itching.”
The reaction came from a new marinade he tried while cooking for his kids. Benadryl didn’t help, and his swelling and hives forced a hospital visit. Cormier is recovering but still has scratch marks from the ordeal.
In the same episode, he shared another close call.
“I’m in my house, and I’m putting together my kid’s queen-size bed,” he said. “So I get one of those sealed mattresses, and I start to cut it open. I cut the mattress too deep, to the bottom—it explodes up, the knife hits me in the chest. It would have killed me if the knife’s edge had hit me. I was shaking.” via
The mattress incident happened at home, separate from the allergy scare, but left him rattled.
Daniel Cormier Reveals He Almost Accidentally Killed Himself With A Knife🤯🔪
“I’m in my house, and I’m putting together my kid’s queen-size bed. So I get one of those sealed mattresses, and I start to cut it open. I cut the mattress too deep, to the bottom—it explodes up, the… pic.twitter.com/ncPUgqYvuC
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 9, 2025
Daniel Cormier, 45, is from Lafayette, Louisiana, and turned pro in 2009. He won the UFC light heavyweight title in 2015 by submitting Anthony Johnson and the heavyweight title in 2018 by knocking out Stipe Miocic. He defended both belts, beating Alexander Gustafsson and Derrick Lewis. His only UFC losses were to Jon Jones and Miocic. His record is 22-3. Cormier retired in August 2020 after losing to Miocic at UFC 252 and now works as a UFC commentator and podcast host.
Known for his love of food, Cormier has faced food-related issues before. In 2014, Dan Henderson sent Popeyes chicken to his locker room to mess with his UFC 173 weight cut, but Cormier resisted. Friends like Islam Makhachev and Max Holloway often tease him about his eating habits. In June 2025, his new RAM TRX truck was stolen from San Jose Airport during UFC 317, but he recovered it.
