Daniel Cormier said as much in the immediate aftermath of his UFC 252 loss this past Saturday, but now it sounds like he’s officially closed the book on fighting again.
Cormier (22-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) said in the buildup to his trilogy rematch with heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) that win or lose, the fight likely would be his last, and Monday he put out a statement on Instagram intimating he’s headed into retirement.
Cormier dropped a unanimous decision to Miocic in the UFC 252 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The fight wasn’t without a little controversy, though. Cormier accidentally poked Miocic in the eye early in the fight. And in the third round, Miocic caught Cormier with an accidental eye poke that referee Marc Goddard missed. Cormier said afterward he was left without any vision in his left eye.
Goddard ultimately issued an apology online for missing the poke in the moment, but only seeing it later on a replay. And UFC president Dana White weighed in to say he didn’t think Cormier could use the poke as an excuse for the loss. Cormier reportedly suffered a torn cornea, but won’t require surgery.
Cormier leaves MMA as a rare two-division UFC champion. He won the light heavyweight title, then knocked out Miocic to win the heavyweight belt in their first meeting. He then relinquished the 205-pound strap to focus on heavyweight.
After Miocic stopped Cormier in 2019 to win the belt back, it set up the trilogy rematch for this past Saturday.
Cormier leaves competitive MMA still best known for his fierce rivalry with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones holds a win over Cormier and another that was overturned when he tested positive for banned substances.
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Thank you all for the love and support. Not what I wanted or expected but it is what it is. Congrats to @stipemiocic on a fantastic fight, was an honor and pleasure to share the octagon with you for 50 minutes. Boy did we give ‘em a show everytime. To my team: I love you all to death, you’ve made so many sacrifices. I hope I made you guys proud. Salina and the kids: thank you for being my motivation. To all the fans: I love you so much. You guys push me to try and be great. To @danawhite and the @ufc: I have loved every minute. Thank you for giving me the opportunity. Been a helluva ride, huh?
