Heat Check: Grading UFC champ Daniel Cormier's sneaker shopping
UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is, to my surprise, a sneakerhead. It seems my days of writing and reporting on the UFC are trying to resurrect themselves as I attempt to focus on sneaker culture and other enjoyable things that don’t result in head trauma and cauliflower ears.
Alas, Cormier linked up with Complex to go sneaker shopping at Sole on Ice in San Jose, Calif. For once, a UFC fighter doesn’t have to wear some junk Reeboks because of the UFC’s apparel deal with the company. Instead, Cormier heads out to cop something more his own style.
Complex typically takes celebrities sneaker shopping and has them talk about their favorite shoes and why they have pairs they enjoy over others. This time Cormier got his shot and talked about something a lot of folks can relate to -- wanting Jordans as a kid when your parents aren’t about to drop triple digits on shoes. We’ve all been there, D.C.
Cormier discusses the early-model Jordans being absolutely out of the question. Mom and Pops worked hard, but they weren’t in a place to drop that hard-earned money on a pair of Js solely because young Daniel wanted them. He revealed that Jordans, Pippens and Air Max 95s were all ones that he and everyone else wanted to get their hands on. Good thing D.C. can afford them now because they’re right up on that wall for the taking.
But did he take those? Not really.
Instead of copping the Pippen 1s that he held in his hands as he reminisced of wanting the sneakers, he opted for some ugly Yeezy Boost 350s (yuck) for $1,100 (double yuck). I’m letting this go simply because he also copped a pair of Jordan 5 DMPs for $475. Still, Yeezys? Damn, Daniel.
In the end, the Jordan 5s are a grade-A pair of sneakers, and this helps him out a lot in grading his overall shopping experience. He also gets extra credit for wearing the Jordan 11 72-10s while getting his hands on new kicks.
What really hurts D.C.’s grade is the Yeezys. These things are ugly and do nothing but add to Kanye West’s over-inflated ego (I wish he still only made beats because those were fire emoji). Additionally, he talked in depth about his affinity for the Pippen 1s, only to leave them on the shelf without purchasing them, causing extra red marks on the grading scale. For shame, Daniel. For shame.
Next time, give your inner kid who could never afford Pippens his own pair so he can finally rock them with pride.
Overall grade: C-
(image via Complex)
