[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] admits he may have had the perfect opportunity to end his career on a high in 2018, but he’s looking to re-create that moment one more time in 2020.
Cormier (22-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) is projected to challenge UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic later this year and plans to leave no doubt in their trilogy after the duo swapped wins, and belts, in their first two matchups.
In their first outing then-UFC light heavyweight champ Cormier moved up in weight to challenge Miocic and knocked him out in the first round to become a simultaneous two-division UFC champion.
The pair faced off a second time last August at UFC 241. But this time it was Miocic who stopped “DC” to reclaim the title and even the score at one win apiece.
Cormier knows that UFC 226 could have been a perfect ending to his career, but putting a close to his trilogy with Miocic would certainly be a special way to leave the sport.
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“The perfect scenario is to honestly – I thought UFC 226 might have been it,” Cormier told MMA Junkie. “Becoming the heavyweight champ of the world, nothing was ever going to be better. But all I could do is hope to match that (and) become the champion again. I don’t think it’s going to exceed what I did the first time because I was holding the other belt at the time, but just to accomplish that again – to attain that goal of beating Miocic again and becoming the heavyweight champ of the world – I think that’s what it looks like.
“It looks like me winning the belt, staying in this sport and working outside of mixed martial arts and just continuing to build my brand and my visibility not only through our sport but things in pop culture and other sports, ESPN and everything else.”
Having kept himself busy outside the octagon through his commentary work for the UFC, high school wrestling coaching, and many other ventures with ESPN, Cormier has certainly found his niche.
And he hopes his “Last Dance” in the octagon with Miocic can give his career a fairytale ending.