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On August 15, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel “DC” Cormier will go to war in the main event of UFC 252, and if DC wins the fight, one of the biggest rematches in UFC history could be made. Although Cormier has said that whether he wins or loses he will retire from the sport, the UFC could entice him to stick around for one more fight and one more chance at vengeance.
If Cormier recaptures heavyweight gold by defeating Miocic at UFC 252, scheduling DC to defend the belt against his longtime rival and current light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones would be an instant blockbuster match that fans have been clamoring for.
UFC 252 takes place August 15 at 10 p.m. Eastern time at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. It will air as a pay-per-view on ESPN+.
Cormier and Jones have fought two times at light heavyweight, and Jones left the Octagon on both occasions with the belt wrapped around his waist. Bones defeated DC in January 2015 during UFC 182 by unanimous decision. They rematched in July 2017 at UFC 241 and Bones took Cormier out via third-round knockout.
Bones tested positive for a banned substance after his second victory over Cormier, and he was subsequently stripped of the belt and DC was reinstated as champion.
The two have had a volatile relationship that has featured brutal trash talk and a press-conference brawl. Watch the 2014 brawl below:
The YouTube account nysz90 created the video “UFC 214 Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier Trash Talk & Funny Moments Compilation,” and it can be watched below:
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DC’s Coach Doesn’t Believe the 2 Losses to Jones Are Behind Cormier
In a recent interview with The Sun, Cormier’s coach Javier Mendez said that the Jones fight would be the only match that could entice DC to stick around. When asked about DC’s retirement, Mendez said, “Will the UFC want him to retire? Maybe they’ll throw a bag of cash at him and say let’s do the Jon Jones trilogy but at heavyweight. That’s the only fight that could get him going, I’m not sure that’s behind him as he did lose twice to him.”
Cormier is one of the UFC’s biggest draws, and the promotion may try to get one last fight out of him. UFC president Dana White has been on record many times saying that if a fighter wants to retire, he wouldn’t try and push them the other way.
But if the UFC backs the Brinks truck up for a trilogy fight at heavyweight, the businessman, as well as the competitor in Cormier, may have a hard time saying no.
Mendez thinks it would be foolish for Cormier to fight again after Miocic. He said, “I do feel like this will be the final one. He’d be foolish to come back, personally, as he’s got such a tremendous career in the entertainment business.”
Cormier has transitioned successfully to other ventures, including working as a color commentator for UFC events. Mendez said, “He’s made for TV, he’s got a great personality, people know that. His career is going on into another avenue which is actually going to be more lucrative than the fight business.”
His coach made it clear that Cormier could still fight if he wanted to, however. Mendez told the outlet, “It’s not like he’s down the hill, he’s not, he still can fight more. But it’s a matter of what he wants — if he wants to retire then we want him to retire.”
Many Argue That Heavyweight Is Cormier’s Natural Weight Class & He Would Fair Much Better Against Jones in That Division
GettyDaniel Cormier poses with Jon Jones during the UFC 214 weigh-in at Honda Center on July 28, 2017 in Anaheim, California.
Another reason Bones and DC’s rivalry is one of the greatest to ever play out in MMA is that they are two of the greatest fighters of all time. No other fighter has defeated Cormier besides Jones and Mioic, and Bones’ only loss is by disqualification in a fight that he was dominating.
A fight at heavyweight would be fascinating as Cormier’s natural weight class is likely heavyweight. He fought his first 13 professional bouts at heavyweight as well as his last three. One of the main reasons DC decided to drop down to light heavyweight in 2014 was because his main training partner and close friend Cain Velasquez was the UFC heavyweight champion. There is a strong argument to be made that DC would have been the heavyweight champion years ago if Velasquez wasn’t at the top of the division.
If DC fought Bones at heavyweight, many would argue that he wouldn’t feel as depleted as he did at light heavyweight having to cut the weight. His strength and speed transfer very well from light heavyweight to heavyweight, and if DC defeats Miocic on August 15, he may very well be crowned the greatest heavyweight of all time.
On the other hand, Jones is viewed by most as the greatest light heavyweight of all time and possibly the greatest fighter of all time. He has never fought at heavyweight, and if he took on DC in a trilogy match for heavyweight gold, Bones could become one of the few fighters to hold two divisional championships at the same time.
One Major Thing Needs to Happen During UFC 252 for Jones vs. Cormier 3 to Be a Possibility, Cormier Needs to Win
DC needs to defeat Stipe Miocic on August 15 for there to be any chance of a trilogy fight with Bones. First, at 41 years old, Cormier would likely take his loss as a sign that it is time to hang up the gloves for good.
Secondly, with Cormier on a two-fight losing streak and Jones currently on an Octagon hiatus, it would be unlikely that the UFC would pursue a fight between the two men. The fight wouldn’t have the same marketing capacity as it would with DC as the heavyweight champion and with him in the conversation as the greatest heavyweight ever.
It will be no easy feat to defeat Miocic for a second time. Miocic is truly one of the heavyweight greats and a shoo-in Hall of Famer. Cormier will have to show up in tremendous shape and pull off his gameplan if he wishes to topple Miocic.
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UFC 252 Could Set Up One of the Biggest Rematches in History