Former champ champ Daniel Cormier said he would retire at 40. But he lost the rematch with Stipe Miocic, plus injuries, plus the COVID-19 global pandemic. However, at 41, in a trilogy fight vs. heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic, DC has what he says with conviction will be his last fight, win, lose, or draw.
After the UFC 252 pre-fight news conference, UFC president Dana White was asked by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto what goes through his mind when he hears DC say that this is his last fight.
’No, it’s not. No, it’s not.’” replied White. “It’s obviously going to depend on how the fight plays out on Saturday night. If Cormier wins in spectacular fashion, this will not be his last fight. And knowing him the way that I do, if he loses, then it will be, ‘I can’t go out like this.’
You know me. When people start talk about retiring, I think they should. Stipe, who people were saying is probably going to retire after this, too, but he squashed that tonight, I don’t think either one of them should retire. They’re two of the best in the world, and they still have a lot left in them. But we’ll see. We’ll see how the fight goes on Saturday.
If Cormier wins, a trilogy fight with the title on the line vs. Jon Jones could be the biggest fight of the ever, but White’s not even thinking about it.
There is no plan, said White. I’m going to watch the fight on Saturday, I’m going to see who wins, and then on Tuesday there will be a matchmaker meeting, and we’ll go in and start talking about what’s next.
h/t Mike Bohn for MMA Junkie
