You might think Daniel Cormier's fighting legacy is a complicated one. It is not.

You might define his career by the one person he never beat. That is absurd.

Even after his loss to Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 241 on Saturday, Cormier stands among the legends of the sport. And for all but five crucial seconds, DC was putting on a clinic on how to leave no doubt.

Five seconds. One punch to the body. A barrage of strikes to the face.

The end. And perhaps the end to more than just one fight.

Miocic had 12 long months to convince himself that it was merely a fluke that he lost a year ago. MMA fans who prefer easy soundbites latched on to the whole fluke idea and gave it life. That, in turn, gave Cormier something to prove, a reason to stick around past his self-mandated retirement age of 40.

And so, at 40, Cormier mauled Miocic for 15 minutes and then some, which is exactly what he wanted. He didn't go for the knockout or the quick finish because he wanted an extended time frame to show what a limited time frame in their first meeting did not. He knew his opponent was better than what he showed a year ago, and he knew that unless he beat Miocic again, unless he left no doubts, there would always be those who considered Miocic, not Cormier, the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time.

In the end, it did him in.

Cormier's lifetime spent pursuing excellence did not lead him to the Olympic gold medal he desired above all else. It did not lead him to beat Jon Jones, the greatest fighter in the history of the sport and the man who was Cormier's dark-side mirror. But it did lead him to beat everyone else he faced, and with only a few exceptions, it rarely took much effort to do so.

And now, it has led him to the cusp of the next phase of his life. Cormier would not say definitively that he was done after this fight, but what I can tell you from speaking with him is that he was likely done Saturday night regardless of the outcome, and I think that's still the case.

He doesn't feel like he has to fight Jon Jones. "I'd be doing Jon Jones a favor," he told me.

So if not Jones, what is next? And why would anything be next at all?

Daniel Cormier can walk away from mixed martial arts with a legacy few will match. He won titles in two weight classes. He beat everyone he faced with the exception of two men.

And though MMA fans can't seem to see it, he was an ambassador who did things the right way.

Who elevated the sport with just his presence.

Who became a role model and teacher and life counselor for hundreds of kids in the Bay Area, and also for this writer, who has been fortunate enough to know him and consider him a friend.

That's Daniel Cormier's legacy. It's not complicated. Not even a little bit.

He was a great fighter. That's cool.

But he is an even better person. And that's the only thing that counts.