Daniel Cormier still plans to defend light heavyweight belt, but admits it will be “difficult”

Back in July, at UFC 226, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier moved back up to the heavyweight division, and knocked out Stipe Miocic to capture the divisional title. Despite the fact that he ballooned up in size for this fight with Miocic, Cormier says he still plans to head south to defend the light heavyweight title before he retires in March.

“For me to go back down, it’s going to be difficult but I plan on doing it,” he said during a recent appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan (transcript via IBTimes.com). “Honestly I am a heavyweight. I weigh 245 pounds normally but then I cut down to 205 whenever I fight 205, so I lose 40 pounds to fight in that weight class.”

Daniel Cormier then explained why being a two-division champion is so important to him. As you might have guessed, it’s all about legacy. As one of just two fighters in UFC history to medal in two weight-classes concurrently (the other is Conor McGregor), Cormier has a special place in UFC history.

“Legacy. It means legacy,” Cormier explained. “You know, I’m 39 years old so for a long time, I thought about being remembered as one of the greats, and by doing this, I’m always going to be remembered as my career ends.”

At this time, it’s not known who Daniel Cormier will defend his title against if he does indeed drop back down to light heavyweight. That said, he’s recently acknowledged fights with Corey Anderson, Ilir Latifi and Anthony Smith as possibilities. And of course, the possible return of his arch rival Jon Jones could also make things interesting.

If Daniel Cormier returns to the light heavyweight division, who would you like to see him defend his title against? Join the debate in the comments section below.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/28/2018.