‘If Cormier wins, this will not be his last fight. If he loses he’ll say, “I can’t go out like this”: Dana White refuses to believe DC will retire after UFC 252 trilogy showdown with Stipe Miocic
- Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic are set for a monumental fight in Las Vegas
- The veterans’ clash is being dubbed the biggest in UFC heavyweight history
- Cormier claims he has plans to retire after the fight, quitting at the very top
- However, UFC president Dana White believes the 41-year-old could fight again
Dana White is not buying Daniel Cormier’s claims that he will retire after UFC 252, predicting the 41-year-old will fight on regardless of the result in Las Vegas.
History is on the line on Saturday with the veteran ready to settle his rivalry with heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in a trilogy fight dubbed the biggest in the division’s history.
The former two-weight title holder has insisted he will ‘ride off into the sunset’ after facing Miocic but made the same claim before his 2019 fourth-round knock-out defeat to the Ohio native – after stunning his countryman for victory in 2018.
Dana White believes Saturday’s UFC 252 will not be the last fight fans see of Daniel Cormier
The former two-weight champion faces Stipe Miocic in a historic heavyweight clash in Vegas
UFC president White is thinks Cormier will be tempted into more fights regardless of the result
‘No, it’s not (Cormier’s final fight),’ White told ESPN afterward.
‘It’s obviously going to depend on how the fight plays out on Saturday night. If Cormier wins in spectacular fashion, this will not be his last fight. And knowing him the way that I do, if he loses, then it will be, “I can’t go out like this.”
‘You know me: When people start talk about retiring, I think they should. Stipe, who people were saying is probably going to retire after this, too, but he squashed that tonight, I don’t think either one of them should retire.
The 41-year-old claimed he would retired before his last bout against Miocic last year too
Miocic and Cormier will battle for the title of the UFC’s greatest heavyweight of all time
‘They’re two of the best in the world, and they still have a lot left in them. But we’ll see how the fight goes on Saturday.’
Failure for DC could leave him scrapping for a worthy opponent if White’s prophecy is realised, but victory could bring about a gigantic trilogy fight with Jon Jones.
Cormier is yet to beat the undisputed lightweight champion, having been defeated by unanimous decision back in 2015 before his second loss in 2017 was nullified after Jones tested positive for Turinabol – earning a 15-month suspension.