Cochrane competed seven times as an amateur, going undefeated. He made his pro debut in November 2009. Cochrane began his professional career in late 2009, amassing a 4–0 start before his first loss to future UFC fighter TJ O'Brien in July 2010. O'Brien used his grappling to defeat Cochrane by rear naked choke early in the first round. Cochrane bounced back from the loss bringing his record to 11–1 including a late replacement bout against former WEC champion Jamie Varner at Titan Fighting Championships 20 on September 23, 2011. The fight was taken on four days' notice and was fought at a catch-weight of 165 lb. Cochrane dominated the fight—both standing and on the ground—in a hard-fought unanimous-decision win.
''The Ultimate Fighter''
Cochrane appeared in the first episode of facing James Vick. He lost to Vick via split decision.
Resurrection Fighting Alliance
Cochrane then fought former NCAA wrestling standout Ramico Blackmon at RFA 1 on December 16, 2011 in Kearney, Nebraska. Cochrane lost the fight by a 3-round unanimous decision in which Blackmon used his superior wrestling to neutralize Cochrane's stand up attack. Cochrane lost for the second straight time in the RFA when he was submitted in the first round by Cliff Wright at RFA 2 on March 30, 2012. Cochrane took down Wright early in the round, but Wright was able to reverse the position, get Cochrane's back, and subsequently choke Cochrane unconscious with a rear naked choke. Cochrane next defeated former UFC lightweight title contender Joe Stevenson in the main event of RFA 3 on June 30, 2012. After outstriking and outgrappling an out of shape Stevenson, Cochrane was able to sink in a rear naked choke to force the tap 64 seconds into the second round. Cochrane won his second straight RFA fight at RFA 4 with a dominant victory over Derrick Burnsed. After escaping several submission attempts from Burnsed early on, Cochrane was able to latch on to a fight-ending armbar late in the first round. Cochrane defeated Deivison Francisco Ribeiro via TKO due to elbows in the third round at RFA 6, Cochrane dominated the fight before finishing Ribeiro. Cochrane stepped inside the cage again at RFA 17 against Christos Giagos for RFA's inaugural lightweight title on August 22 at the Sanford Pentagon, which was South Dakota's first-ever sanctioned MMA event. He lost the fight by KO due to an flying knee in round 2. This marked the first time Dakota had been knocked out in his career.
Bellator MMA
Cochrane stepped in for an injured Derek Campos to face Alexander Sarnavskiy at Bellator 128 on October 10, 2014. He lost the fight via rear naked choke submission in the first round. Cochrane faced Ryan Couture at Bellator 135 on March 27, 2015. He lost the fight via rear naked choke submission in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion.
Dakota Cochrane has participated in gay pornography. He has performed in sixteen videos under the stage name of "Danny" and fully disclosed this information to the UFC in his audition tape for The Ultimate Fighter 15. Despite his former career in gay porn, Cochrane identifies as heterosexual. He stopped participating in gay porn after admitting to his girlfriend at the time what he was doing and she asked him to stop.
