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When a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter retires from the fight game immediately after a fight, it’s tradition to take off his or her gloves and put them in the center of the Octagon. But when former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champ-champ, Daniel Cormier, lost to Stipe Miocic at UFC 252 a few weeks ago, he announced his retirement from the fight game during his post-fight speech, which was conducted outside of the cage.
So why did “D.C.” decide to not to conduct an in-cage interview to announce his retirement, as well as lay his gloves down on the mat? Because it was Stipe’s moment, not his own.
“I lost the fight, that’s Stipe’s moment,” Cormier said during the DC and Helwani show. “He’s the champ. Why would I do that? Because a guy like me retires in the octagon there, that’s what people talk about,” he said in an interview with MMA Fighting.
“In the standing in the world, there’s a difference between Stipe and I. If I’m in there and I take my gloves off, it’s almost like stealing his thunder. I wasn’t going to do that. He won the fight.”
Cormier reiterated that fighting professionally will no longer be in his future and he won’t go searching for his fairy tale ending.
“I feel like I’m closing the door shut on this thing – it’s over,” he said. “And I’m not sad about it. I’m not sad. I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss the training camps. I’m going to miss the fights. There’s nothing like a fight week, but you have to understand when it’s your time. I feel like it’s time.”
Cormier will still be heavily involved with the sport and UFC, as he will still be a regular at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) as the gym captain, helping the younger generation pave thier way to greatness.
He will also be working his gig as commentator for the promotion.