Daniel Cormier recently reflected on his last fight in the UFC, which was a third fight against Stipe Miocic. Cormier talked candidly about the specific moment during the fight that made him consider retiring from the sport.
Cormier’s MMA career ended on a bad note, as he lost back-to-back fights toward the end of his career. In his first encounter with Miocic at UFC 226, the former came out victorious via first-round knockout. The 45-year-old then lost his second and third fight against the No. 7-ranked heavyweight via knockout and unanimous decision, respectively.
A recent Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast episode had Cormier and co-host Chael Sonnen talking about the potential heavyweight title clash between Jon Jones and Miocic. The former two-division champion then discussed his fight with Miocic, emphasizing the latter’s prowess in the clinch.
”I remember the fifth round of our last fight [ UFC 252], it was close man, it was two rounds a piece and he grabbed me and he held me against the fence, I couldn’t even get away from it.”
Cormier went on to disclose the exact moment when he realized his time as an MMA fighter was over.
”It was one of the weirdest things that I’ve ever felt and that’s what I kind of knew, I was like, ‘man, I think my time is done’ because nobody has ever controlled me against the octagon side like this. This dude just did this for four minutes and fifty seconds. Chael, I’m a Greco Roman-World medalist, how am I getting controlled against the side of the octagon by a guy that wrestled at Cleveland State?”
Following his loss to Miocic at UFC 252, Cormier spoke to UFC commentator Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview and announced his retirement. ‘DC’ now works as a UFC analyst and frequently provides commentary for the promotion’s events.
Daniel Cormier praises Tom Aspinall’s approach to potential Jon Jones fight
In an episode of Funky and the Champ show, Cormier commended Aspinall’s recent approach, saying:
”The fact that he’s not being as respectful as he was before is a massive, massive win for Tom Aspinall because before, it was easy to ignore him. I believe that those guys should fight.”
