A couple of weeks later, that sentiment has changed from the perspective of “DC,” as well as UFC president Dana White.
Cormier officially announced his retirement on Monday during his show on ESPN and explained that the reason he didn’t leave his gloves in the octagon was because he didn’t want to steal that moment from Miocic whom he’s shared the cage with on three different occasions.
White, who believed Cormier could still return after his loss to Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 252, spoke with members of the media following Tuesday night’s DWCS Season 4: Week 5 event—where Cormier served as the color commentator. When asked about Cormier’s future, he feels much differently than he did three weeks prior.
“So he told us today to take him out of USADA (testing) and take him out of the rankings,” White told reporters. “It doesn’t get more official than that.”
“I had such a good time with him (as a fighter). He’s such a great commentator, too. He’ll still be around and he’ll be with this company forever. It’s not like we’re losing him and I’ll never see him again.”
With Cormier no longer in the picture, Miocic can fight a different opponent for the first time since July 2018. The man he defeated to retain the title six months prior at UFC 220 was Francis Ngannou. White reiterated “The Predator” will get his second opportunity at a world title over the, now, former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
“He fought Stipe in Boston in 2018,” White stated. “He’s been grinding for two years now and he deserves the shot.”
{feed:enclosure_href }
More...
