Daniel Cormier calls on more activity from Stipe Miocic before he agrees on a title rematch.
Elite UFC heavyweights Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier have been bickering at each other on social media. The main issue: a rematch that Miocic has been calling for, which “DC” is not in full agreement with.
For Cormier, Miocic is “being entitled” by demanding an immediate rematch. On Monday’s episode of the MMA Hour, the current heavyweight champion further explained this previous statement.
“I understand where he’s coming from because I’ve been there with Jones twice and I’m like, ‘God, I know I can beat him if I can just get another opportunity to do it,” Cormier told Luke Thomas (via MMA Fighting). “I know I can beat him.’ And it burns at you and it eats at you, especially the way that he lost the fight. I get it. But I don’t have to really owe anything. I’ve said that before, I’ve said he deserves it. I’ve said that.
“He deserves a rematch if I don’t get to fight Brock. I’ve always stood by that. But you can’t just go, ‘Well, you owe it to me.’ I don’t want to sit here and talk bad about Stipe because I like Stipe. I think he’s a good guy. He’s a fantastic father. He’s a pillar of the community. He’s a great fighter. I think he’s great. But you can’t sit there and say, ‘He owes me.’”
Cormier is now calling on the former champion to re-earn the title shot by beating top-tier opponents in convincing fashion.
“Just go beat somebody up, then you can’t ignore it,” he said. “He can go knock somebody out again and it’s like, ‘Well, you gotta fight him.’ Then the last memory of him in the Octagon is not him getting knocked out.”
Miocic has not fought since he was knocked out by Cormier in the first round of their main event fight at UFC 226 in July 2018.