MMA Rumors: Daniel Cormier Explains Why He Didn’t Give Stipe Miocic An Immediate Rematch
Stipe Miocic’s reign as the UFC heavyweight champion ended after suffering a first-round knockout in the hands of UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 226. Miocic entered the fight as the heavy favorite to win, but Cormier proved his doubters wrong. Since the loss, Miocic has been continuously campaigning for a rematch.
Unfortunately, Daniel Cormier isn’t showing much interest in a second matchup with Stipe Miocic anytime soon. Instead of facing Miocic again, Cormier is set to make his first title defense as the UFC Heavyweight Champion against Derrick Lewis at UFC 230. In an interview with MMA Weekly, Cormier explained why he decided not to give Miocic an immediate rematch.
“I’m not trying to say I’m afraid of Stipe. I swear I’m not afraid of Stipe Miocic. Why would I be?” Cormier said.
“It just did not make sense right now. I don’t mind fighting him again. It’s not like it was the hardest fight. I do appreciate that he’s being vocal because sh-t man, maybe if he had done that in the beginning, maybe we would have made some money. The pay-per-view didn’t do that well because we did not make money. Obviously, issues sell. Maybe he’s trying to stir the pot a little bit to get some interest in our fight.”
UFC champ Daniel Cormier not worried about Jon Jones stealing Brock Lesnar fight https://t.co/2wWokX8wqH pic.twitter.com/p17qQeg3ns
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) October 21, 2018
When their UFC 226 bout was over, Stipe Miocic admitted that he was supposed to ask Daniel Cormier to face him in the Octagon again, but he decided to leave when former UFC Heavyweight Champion and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar came in and started a commotion. Miocic recently called out Cormier on social media where he said that “DC” would never knock him out in their rematch. Cormier heard Miocic’s statements and said that it’s “crazy” to make such predictions since he just lost and didn’t even last for one round with him inside the Octagon.
As of now, it remains unknown if Daniel Cormier will ever fight Stipe Miocic again in the Octagon. After their UFC 226 bout, Cormier revealed that he only has two more fights left before he permanently retires as an MMA fighter. Despite suffering a hand injury, Cormier still decided to accept the fight against Derrick Lewis, saying that the UFC gave him an offer that he cannot resist.
Also, unlike Miocic, Cormier believes it will be easier to make preparations for Lewis since he uses a limited fighting style. If he succeeds to defend the belt against Lewis, Cormier could face either Jon Jones or Brock Lesnar in his final fight.
