It's been nearly 10 months since Stipe Miocic recaptured the UFC Heavyweight Championship from Daniel Cormier.
Now it appears that two of the best fighters in MMA history are prepared to complete their trilogy.
Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Miocic implied he's ready to defend the title he's successfully retained more times than anyone else in UFC history.
"The time has come," Miocic wrote along with a picture of himself walking out to the octagon. "Who’s ready! #SM #AndStill"
It didn't take long for Cormier to reply, retweeting Miocic's post with a heart eyes emoji and a simple threat: "you're done!"
Cormier's response seemingly confirms that when Miocic does return to the octagon, it will be to complete a trilogy of fights that began at UFC 226 in 2018, when Cormier ended Miocic's two-year reign as heavyweight champ with a first-round knockout. At UFC 241 last August, Miocic recaptured his crown, knocking out Cormier in the fourth round to become a 2-time heavyweight champion.
While a third fight between two of UFC's living legends appeared inevitable, an eye injury suffered by Miocic coupled with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic threw a potential wrench in those plans. Last month, UFC president Dana White threatened to strip the heavyweight championship off Miocic, who had been unable to train for a fight with gyms in Ohio closed.
"I want to fight DC. It’s going to happen period," Miocic wrote in a series of tweets addressing the situation. "The second the gym can open, we begin camp. Plain and simple. I have never ducked anyone."
As the Euclid native said in his post on Sunday, now, "the time has come."