Gilroy High School wrestling students celebrate coach's UFC title

GILROY, Calif. (KGO) -- Communities in the South Bay are celebrating a UFC title win by one of their own.

Gilroy's Daniel Cormier -- known to his fans as DC -- is the newly-crowned UFC heavyweight champ.

Cormier now has two UFC titles under his belt, light heavyweight and heavyweight, which he won Saturday night. He's become only one of two fighters to hold two UFC championships simultaneously.

"It feels good man, it means I accomplished one of my ultimate goals," Cormier told us during a phone interview as he was leaving Las Vegas.

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Those most excited are the students he coaches at Gilroy High School.

"When I saw the grounded pound, I got up, I started going crazy. Arms in the air, food spilling," recalled Dallas Gutierrez, a senior at Gilroy High and part of the wrestling team.

Cormier has been the head coach of the wrestling program for only a few months but he's already leaving a mark on these young wrestlers.

"I think the whole team is going to step up drastically to a whole new level," said junior Chase Saldatte.

It's not just his students who are pumped.

"The community is pumped up, the school is pumped up. There's been a lot of excitement the last few months," said principal Marco Sanchez.

Cormier trains at AKA in San Jose, where members are re-energized as well as inspired.

"He's the greatest human being you'd ever want to find," said Javier Mendez, AKA founder & head coach. "He's a superstar that gives back to the community like no one I've ever seen. He's there for the kids."

A down to earth fighter who stays grounded -- no matter the number of losses or victories.

"Once I get out of Vegas, I go back to Daniel and we just live like we live in Gilroy," Cormier said.

Cormier still has a few fights left in him before he retires on his 40th birthday, May 20 of next year.