Daniel Cormier Releases Statement After UFC 252 Loss: ‘Been a Helluva Ride, Huh?’

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Outside of a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Daniel Cormier didn’t get to say his piece following a unanimous decision loss to Stipe Miocic in the UFC 252 main event this past weekend.

Cormier was transported to a nearby hospital shortly thereafter to be treated for a potential injury that resulted from an accidental eye poke by Miocic in the third round of their heavyweight title clash. As a result, “DC” did not attend Saturday’s post-fight press conference to further address his future.

However, Cormier has frequently said UFC 252 would be his last fight, and a statement issued on his Instagram account Monday seemed to confirm those plans. The American Kickboxing Academy captain was classy in defeat, thanking, Miocic, his family, fans, team and the UFC for all the support over the years.

“Thank you all for the love and support. Not what I wanted or expected but it is what it is,” Cormier wrote. “Congrats to [Stipe Miocic] on a fantastic fight, was an honor and pleasure to share the octagon with you for 50 minutes. Boy did we give ‘em a show everytime. To my team: I love you all to death, you’ve made so many sacrifices. I hope I made you guys proud. Salina and the kids: thank you for being my motivation. To all the fans: I love you so much. You guys push me to try and be great. To [Dana White] and the [UFC] I have loved every minute. Thank you for giving me the opportunity. Been a helluva ride, huh?”

If it is indeed the end, the 41-year-old Cormier retires from the sport with a 22-3 career mark. He was one of only four fighters to be a simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history, holding both the heavyweight and light heavyweight belts for a brief period in 2018. Prior to joining the UFC, Cormier also won the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix in 2012. His resume includes notable wins over the likes of Miocic, Anthony Johnson, Alexander Gustafsson, Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Josh Barnett, Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, Derrick Lewis, Volkan Oezdemir and Antonio Silva, to name a few.

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Thank you all for the love and support. Not what I wanted or expected but it is what it is. Congrats to @stipemiocic on a fantastic fight, was an honor and pleasure to share the octagon with you for 50 minutes. Boy did we give ‘em a show everytime. To my team: I love you all to death, you’ve made so many sacrifices. I hope I made you guys proud. Salina and the kids: thank you for being my motivation. To all the fans: I love you so much. You guys push me to try and be great. To @danawhite and the @ufc: I have loved every minute. Thank you for giving me the opportunity. Been a helluva ride, huh?

A post shared by Daniel "DC" Cormier (@dc_mma) on Aug 17, 2020 at 10:27am PDT