David Taylor was an ordinary kid with an unordinary goal: To win the Olympic Gold Medal in Freestyle wrestling. His quest to reach that goal brought Magic Man to Penn State where he won two National Championships and two Dan Hodge trophies as the best college wrestler in the country. Finally, in 2020, Taylor achieved his goal and took home Olympic gold, but his journey didn’t end there.
What got him into wrestling in the first place? Why did he take a job as head coach at Oklahoma State? And why isn’t winning good enough for him? On this episode of Champion Mindset, former two-division UFC Champion Daniel Cormier visits his alma mater to sit down with Taylor and uncover those answers.
https://www.ufcstore.com/en/?_s=bm-UFC_Merch_GD-UFC.com-Shop-Podcast-2025
Timestamps:
1:03 – Taylor’s experience cornering Diego Lopes at UFC Freedom 250
3:43 – Why Taylor started wrestling
15:54 – Taylor’s college years at Penn State
19:36 – The rivalry with Kyle Dake
27:57 – Recovering from a torn ACL
34:57 – The Gold Medal match
37:13 – The rivalry with Hassan Yazdani
42:46 – Taking the Head Coaching job at Oklahoma State
48:37 – Being a Champion at home
49:30 – Taylor’s proudest moment as a coach
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