Daniel Cormier Wants Stipe Miocic Trilogy for Final UFC Bout: ‘No One Else Matters’

If all goes as planned, Daniel Cormier will have one last bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship before riding off into the sunset.

Cormier announced Monday on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show that he intends to face heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in a trilogy bout before he retires from the sport. “DC” lost the crown to Miocic via fourth-round TKO in their last meeting at UFC 241 on Aug. 17. The American Kickboxing Academy standout became a two-division champion at Miocic’s expense with a first-round knockout victory at UFC 226 in July 2018.

“I’m gonna fight this guy again. My intention is to fight him in the right way. Hopefully that’s enough to get my hand raised,” Cormier said. “But I’m gonna fight him again. Win or lose, I’m not fighting again. This will be the only time that I ever set foot in the Octagon again.

“The next one will be the last one. It has to be Stipe. No one else matters.”

UFC president Dana White recently revealed that the promotion has designs on booking a third bout between Miocic and Cormier. Meanwhile, Cormier confirmed on Monday that he has been in talks with the UFC about a trilogy. Nothing is set in stone as of yet, but the Las Vegas-based organization reportedly plans on adding a third title bout to UFC 245 on Dec. 14. Miocic-Cormier 3 could fit that bill.

“Yes, they [the UFC] want to make that fight,” Cormier confirmed. “They want me to fight Stipe again.”

At UFC 241, Cormier took Miocic down in Round 1 and controlled much of the frame from top position. His strategy changed from there, however, as he seemed content to engage the Ohio firefighter in close quarters for the rest of the bout. Cormier did well in that regard up to a point, outlanding Miocic until his opponent began to work the body in the fourth stanza. One blow in particular put Cormier on the defensive, and Miocic flurried with punches against the fence for a surprising finish.

Cormier admitted on Monday that he would have retired had he defeated Miocic at UFC 241. Now, he wants one last chance to correct the mistakes he made in August.

“It was a fantastic fight. It was a fantastic fight for all the wrong reasons,” Cormier said. “It didn’t have to be a fantastic fight. It was. And I’m not saying I can go grab Stipe Miocic and throw him down at will. But I can do a lot of things better than I did on Aug. 17.”