Luke Rockhold explains his brotherly bond with Daniel Cormier

Top light heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier couldn't wait to temporarily walk away from the FOX desk last Saturday and leave behind his analyst's duties before the Fight Night main event. The reason being that DC's friend and teammate Luke Rockhold was taking on Lyoto Machida in the biggest fight of his career.

It wasn't good enough for Cormier to have helped Rockhold prepare for the fight each day, or to even be in the building cheering for Rockhold. No, the two-time Olympic wrestler also insisted on walking down to the cage, away from his TV desk, and cornering Rockhold.

So, there was Cormier as possibly the best-dressed corner person in history, wearing a sharp light blue shirt and tie, while shouting instructions to Rockhold en route to his second-round submission win over Machida. Though Rockhold and Cormier usually express their bro-love for one another in reverse during interviews, making fun at one another's expense, the new No. 1 middleweight contender fessed up to just how much Cormier means to him recently during a conversation with FOX Sports.

"It means a lot to have him there with me," Rockhold admitted.

"It has been a long road together. DC and I have grown a lot together. He's one of my best friends. We're at each other's throats a lot of times like brothers. I'm trying to kick his ass, sometimes. I think we get under each other's skin a lot (laughs). It really is like brothers."

Last Saturday, the two shared the bright spotlight together after a huge win. Their bond goes back to much more humble times, however.

"We both lived with [American Kickboxing Academy coach] Bob Cook's house," Rockhold remembers.

"He lived in the garage and I lived in an upstairs room. It was a beat-down place. We played video games together after training. We were also basically living in the gym. We stayed in the gym all day long because we had nowhere else to go. Then, we'd go back to Bob's and crash.

"It has been a long road, with lots of ups and downs. DC is a great friend. He's always been there for me. We push each other and help each other to be the best fighters we can possibly be. Whether it is him helping me with wrestling, or me helping him with his Jiu Jitsu or striking game, we are always pushing each other."

That type of brotherly bond, forged over a long period of time and kept strong through continued work, is a special one, no doubt. That's probably why, nuts as it seemed, Cormier insisted on marching down in his wingtips and cornering Rockhold Saturday night.

That's also why, after Rockhold won, Cormier was so overjoyed and amped that he turned to our very own editor, who was live-streaming the moment on Periscope and shouted, "That's how you [expletive] do it!"