Getty An overhead view of the UFC Octagon.
A UFC legend retired on Saturday night following a heartbreaking loss to his biggest rival. Daniel Cormier is one of only seven UFC fighters in history to win championships in two different weight classes and one of only four to have held both titles at the same time, but the 41-year-old couldn’t defeat UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic on Saturday night in one of the biggest UFC championship fights in history.
Miocic defeated Cormier via unanimous decision at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Judges scored the bout 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 in favor of the titleholder.
Despite an action-packed five-round slugfest that at times looked like a stoppage might happen for either fighter, Miocic’s better boxing and heavier hands ultimately netted the 37-year-old his second straight win over Cormier.
After the heartbreaking loss, his second in a row to the same fighter, Cormier announced his retirement from MMA.
“I don’t think there’s a title in my future,” Cormier said. “That will be it for me. I’ve had a long run. I just fought for the heavyweight championship. It was a great fight.”
You can watch Cormier talk about his tough loss to Miocic, as well as his decision to retire, in the video below.
Cormier Named Greatest Accomplishment
Cormier revealed to Heavy earlier in the week what he considered to be his greatest accomplishment as well as his biggest regret heading into what he hoped would be his final victory at UFC 252.
The former UFC “champ champ” said the best thing he’d done inside the cage to date was being the second-ever UFC double champ.
“Just becoming the UFC double champion, you know?” Cormier said.
But Cormier also said that he was equally proud of how he had carried himself as a competitor.
“And also just the way I made people respect me, the way I live my life and the way I carry myself and the way that I represent the sport,” Cormier said. “That’s what I’m very proud of. I’m proud of the way that in history I hope I will be remembered, that people can look at me and say, ‘this guy did it the right way’.”
Cormier Named Biggest Regret
As for his single biggest regret, Cormier said the thing he would want to go back and change was the way he handled himself during his rivalry in the 205-pound division with Jon Jones.
“We all make mistakes,” Cormier said. “I’m not any different. I’ve made mistakes, but if there was one thing I probably wouldn’t do, it’s a double-edged sword, right, because Jon Jones and I get into that fight at the MGM is why our rivalry is so big. But because of that, my family and my children will always be able to go and look that up and see that their dad made a fool of himself.”
Cormier and Jones brawled during one of the press events for their scheduled battle at UFC 182. That altercation happened during fight week for UFC 178 in September 2014.
“So that would probably be the thing that I would take back first and foremost,” Cormier said. “But there have been a number of things that I could have done better.”
Regardless, Cormier’s career had way more ups than it did downs. The UFC legend couldn’t beat Miocic on Saturday night to finish on top of the sport as he wanted, but he’ll go down in history as one of the most decorated UFC fighters ever.
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