CLEVELAND — UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier wanted to fight Brock Lesnar inside the famed octagon, but such a bout is unlikely to happen, and that does not sit well with “DC,” a future hall of famer in the twilight of his MMA career.
Cormier ‘was disappointed’ by the Lesnar super-fight falling through, and instead, having to defend the championship against the very man he took it from last summer, Cleveland native Stipe Miocic, in the main event of UFC 241 at the Honda Center in Anaheim on August 17.
“I wanted to fight Brock, I’ve known Brock for a long time,” Cormier told TMZ Sports Monday. “I’ve competed with Brock for a long time in wrestling, and I’ve always been a fan of his, and then, we had that great moment out in UFC 226, so the build was gonna be fun.
“But you know, you can only really worry about things that you can control, and I can’t control that he doesn’t want to fight anymore. He’s done. I know the UFC and Brock tried to make this happen. It just didn’t, so I appreciate all parties involved trying to get it done, but it just didn’t work, man.”
While disappointed that a bout with Lesnar did not materialize, Cormier understands why the former UFC heavyweight champion elected to remain under contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
“Honestly, I just think the WWE gave him such a great deal,” Cormier said to TMZ Sports. “They really always take care of this guy, and ultimately, you get paid that much money to go and wrestle as opposed to fighting me… there’s no predetermined outcome there. I’m gonna try to kick your ass, so I think he made the smart decision.”
Miocic took a calculated risk by not fighting another top contender, and instead, waiting for the rematch, which is something that did not sit well with Cormier.
“I did not like the approach he took,” Cormier said in an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani back in May. “I just think he’s so good, even if he’d fought over the course of the year, he still would be in this same position, so I don’t feel I have to be nice to him anymore.”
Despite taking a thumb to the left eye on an attempted shove from the challenger early in the bout, Miocic felt he was winning for much of the first round against Cormier in his fourth defense of the UFC heavyweight championship.
However, out of a clinch, Cormier faked an uppercut, came over the top with a right-handed strike and floored the defending champion. With Miocic on his back, Cormier pounced and landed multiple strikes before the referee called a stop to the contest.
The loss brought to an end a record-setting run for the most consecutive successful defenses of the heavyweight championship for Miocic, who is 18-3-0 in his professional career heading into the Cormier rematch, including a 12-3 mark since joining the UFC in 2011.
Cormier is 22-1 with one no-contest in 24 professional bouts. The one no-contest was originally a knockout loss at the hands of Jon Jones in July of 2017, but a failed test gave the UFC light-heavyweight championship back to Cormier and set him on a path for a return to the heavyweight division.
“I’m going to show everyone that I’m the better fighter,” Miocic told WKYC.com after the rematch was announced. “That night was his night, and it will never happen again. He definitely won the lottery that night.
“Listen, I’m going to go out there and do me and I’m going to walk out with the belt.”
