Daniel Cormier on future after UFC 241: ‘It needs to be something big’

Daniel Cormier is days away from defending his UFC heavyweight championship against Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 241. While ‘DC’ is taking things one fight at a time, the rematch against Miocic could very well be the final fight of his storied mixed martial arts career.

Cormier has built an incredible legacy throughout his career and will look to knock off the man with the longest heavyweight championship reign in UFC history for a second time on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif. If Cormier is successful, he certainly isn’t slamming the door on his career. If the right opportunity comes along, Cormier will be open to keeping his in-the-Octagon career going — although it won’t be for just any fight.

“If you have a guy that’s in my situation that’s won 90 percent of his fights and been a champion and lived this tremendous life that I’ve been blessed, you don’t want to stand across the Octagon from just anybody,” Cormier explained to MMA Fighting. “It needs to be something big.”

With an incredible amount of talent in and out of the cage, Cormier’s post-UFC options would be aplenty. The 40-year-old has been tied, recently, to a potential third fight with current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and with current WWE superstar — and former UFC heavyweight champion — Brock Lesnar.

While the Lesnar fight looks highly unlikely to take place, a third fight with Jones would seem to be the only logical booking that would get Cormier excited. The other option, if all goes according to plan on Saturday night against Miocic, would be to do something very few fighters have done in the sport of MMA. Go out on top.

“I’ve long said I don’t want to be a guy that goes out on my back,” Cormier said. “A lot of our greatest champions they leave the sport on their back. They leave as former champions. They leave their fans with that last vision of their favorite fighter on their back, [then] standing in the middle of the Octagon while their belt is getting strapped on someone else. I don’t want to be that guy.

“I want to be a guy that goes out on his own terms. I know that as you turn 40 years old, that time starts to near. I just have to decide if that time is now or a little bit later down the line.”

Cormier has expressed interest in a third fight with Jones, but said that it will be ultimately up to him to make that fight happen.

If Daniel Cormier defeats Stipe Miocic at UFC 241, does he have anything left to prove?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/12/2019.