UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier had previously announced his plan to retire by March of this year.
However, citing recent injury issues, it would appear that the heavyweight champion isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“I just don’t know if I’m gonna do what I did in New York again, where I have to fight where I’m not 110 percent,” Cormier said on The MMA Hour. “Because I truly do feel like the reason my back went out was because I went from zero to trying to prepare for a fight in three weeks and I can’t really do that. I need those first four weeks of a pre-training camp just to prepare my body to go through a full eight-week camp. I used to do 12 weeks, I did all that in four and that’s why my body started falling apart on me. 12 weeks and I’m not at 100 percent, so say, I don’t know, spring? Summer? I don’t know. Not exactly sure yet."
Dana White had suggested several times that DC shouldn’t retire yet and that hope may have come true for the UFC President.
Cormier also states that when he does return to action, it will either come against Stipe Miocic or Brock Lesnar.
“I think maybe Lesnar next would be the fight,” Cormier said. “And again as I’ve always said, yeah I’ll fight Stipe again. It’s just the same exact thing. We’re not waiting for Brock Lesnar. Because of my injuries, I’m just not available to fight. If I was available to fight, I probably would have fought Stipe already. But I’m just not available to fight right now so we’ll see what happens with Lesnar and then we’ll address what’s after that.”
DC defeated Miocic to win the UFC Heavyweight Title at UFC 226, which is the same event that Lesnar jumped into the Octagon to confront him.
