While Daniel Cormier has been firm about retiring by his fortieth birthday, after an anticipated fight with Brock Lesnar, former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub sees one more fight happening for D.C.
We all know the story by now. Daniel Cormier intends to retire by early March 2019. His deadline corresponds to his 40th birthday. And that will be it. Show’s over for the man now in the conversation as one of the greatest of all time. One of only two men to hold two UFC titles simultaneously, and the only one to have defenses of both. Yet on a recent episode of the Below the Belt podcast, former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub gave a very rational breakdown of what’s to come for Cormier — and why he might fight one more time, after his self-imposed retirement date.
Praising Cormier for his fight I.Q., Schaub suggested there’s a heavyweight fight out there that could be one of the biggest UFC fights of all time.
“I gotta be honest, I love where [Cormier’s] head is at,” said Schaub on Below the Belt (via MMA Fighting). “He goes, ‘The only guy I’d cut down to light heavyweight for is Jon Jones’ but what he wants next is he plans to retire in March and he’s praying for a Brock Lesnar fight. He’s hoping Brock answers the bell and I hope he does and DC beats Brock and rides off into the sunset. I really do.”
“Do I think that’s how it’s gonna go? If I had to bet on it, no,” Schaub continued. “I bet Jon Jones beats Gustafsson, comes to heavyweight, fights Stipe, beats Stipe, and then the UFC makes DC an offer for the heavyweight championship of the world – after he beats Brock Lesnar – to fight Jon Jones in one of the biggest pay-per-views in the history of the sport.”
“I think he does retire in March after he beats Lesnar but eventually, before 2019’s over, he fights Jon Jones for the heavyweight title.”
It’s a fight that would make a lot of sense: no more weight cuts for UFC, but a chance to finish the trilogy with Jones, the only man to hold a win over him in the sport.
