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Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier will be back in the Octagon for one last time.
Right after his fourth-round TKO loss to Stipe Miocic at UFC 241 in August, Daniel Cormier was uncertain about his future. What he was sure of at the time, however, was that a third fight against the current champion would be the only reason to make him want to return.
On Monday’s episode of the Ariel Helwani MMA Show, “DC” confirmed he is making one last Octagon appearance, but only against Miocic.
“I’m going to fight this guy again, and my intention is to fight him in the right way,” Cormier said (transcript by MMA Fighting). “Hopefully that’s enough to get my hand raised.
“But I’ll go fight him again, (and) win or lose, I’m not fighting again. This will be the only time I ever step foot in the Octagon again.”
The 40-year-old concedes to the fact that Miocic was the better man that night. But ultimately, he knows he’ll be able to do better when they face each other for the third and final time.
“That was just great work by him. It goes to the fighting mindset and the ability of Stipe Miocic,” Cormier said. “He went hard body shot. And the one that hurt me, instead of chasing that again, he went up top.
“I’m not saying I can just go grab Stipe Miocic and throw him down at will, but I can do a lot of things better than I did on August 17.”
If anything, Cormier believes his rivalry with Miocic will go down in history as one of the greatest in heavyweight MMA history.
“A true heavyweight rivalry will carry a sport, and I think right now we have that with Stipe and I,” Cormier said. “I intend to go back and get the job done and fight the way I train to fight.”