Two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier earned the heavyweight title when he knocked out Stipe Miocic within the first round back at UFC 226. Miocic has since bee campaigning for an immediate rematch.
Miocic holds the record for most consecutive title defenses within the division and was largely considered the most successful UFC heavyweight of all time before his dethroning at UFC 226. However, D.C. went on to challenge former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to a fight.
As Lesnar is currently finishing out a suspension from a failed drug test dated back to UFC 200, Cormier is currently pursuing other options. On just three weeks notice, D.C. accepted a fight in the main event of UFC 230.
UFC 230 will take place Nov. 3, live on pay-per-view. For the fight, Cormier will be taking on talented knockout artist Derrick Lewis. Speaking on The MMA Hour, Daniel Cormier has since come forward to dispel accusations that he is avoiding a rematch with Stipe Miocic.
“It’s all about perception. So if you can create this idea that I ducked him, then okay, maybe you’ll get some people to rally and support you. And it’s worked. I have never seen Stipe Miocic have so much support in my whole entire career. I mean, people are like, ‘Why are you ducking Stipe?’ I put a picture up about this kid who signed a scholarship to go to college the other day, and I got a whole bunch of people going, ‘Why are you ducking Stipe?’ I’m like, I can’t duck the guy I just beat within one round three months ago. I’m not ducking him.
“If anything, I was trying to give Stipe credit for the fact that he’s a good fighter, that I wanted to give him my best effort. Right? I want to fight him at my best, so I need six weeks and not a busted up hand to fight him. But people get a little bit desperate when something that they truly love gets taken away from them, and you can see it in Stipe.”
