UFC's Daniel Cormier Discusses Trio of Potential Challengers, Retirement

Who Daniel Cormier fights next is the biggest question in UFC. But right now, not even the champ is sure what will transpire in 2019.

Since their UFC 226 melodrama, Cormier and Brock Lesnar seem destined to meet in the Octagon. However, Lesnar is still technically suspended from UFC and is WWE's current top champion. While Lesnar could lose that title later this month, he could very well carry it into April for WrestleMania 35. With so much to be determined with Lesnar combined with an undeniable charge from Jon Jones at UFC 232, the discussion of who's next for Cormier is a complicated one.

"As of right now with the Lesnar thing, that's kinda still up in the air," Cormier told MMAFighting.com "I've gotten a lot of, 'You're not willing to fight Jones, you talk trash about Jones [and he his drug testing issues], but you're willing to fight Lesnar?' Nobody knows what's in place in terms of drug testing between Brock Lesnar and I. These are just general assumptions as to what is Brock Lesnar truly going through right now to try to be eligible to compete. We could be doing so many different things that people are unaware of, and if Brock Lesnar's clean on the day that we fight, because of these things, then why can't I fight him? Or, if he doesn't fight, then I'll fight Stipe Miocic,"

Lesnar of course, it still serving the final weeks of a suspension dating back to a failed 2016 drug test involving clomiphene. Barring another toxic sample, Lesnar will be cleared to compete by February, but he still may have obligations to Vince McMahon. If Dana White needs to book Cormier before April, it sounds like we'll get Cormier/Miocic instead of the true blockbuster Cormier/Jones III.

"I talked to the boss (Dana White) the other day and he's talking to me about fights and Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones and everybody, and I said, 'If Lesnar doesn't go, Stipe has to be first. He deserves it, and I've said it from the beginning. If it ain't Brock, I want to fight Stipe Miocic and give him what's rightfully his, a rematch for this title.' He's going to get beat again, but at least he'll get a chance to fight for that belt again," said Cormier.

Regardless, it sounds like only one of these bouts may happen in 2019. Cormie has been adamant about retiring soon and he reiterated that in this interview.

"Man, I don't know. Like I said, I've long intended to be done with this thing by the time I turn 40 years old, and I've had some things injury-wise that are really kinda holding me back right now. I would prefer to be getting ready to train right now and fight, but there are a couple things that have happened that I can't really get going like I want to, so it's kinda all still up in the air. Dana's hopeful, he's like, 'Oh, you can fight three more times, you're the man right now.' And honestly, I could fight. I could still fight. It doesn't seem like I'm slowing down too much. I mean, hell, I became the heavyweight champion a few months ago, it's not like I'm slowing down. So we'll see what it is. I really do still intend to be done with this thing really soon. It's just a personal decision that I made with my family, and we'll see what happens," he said.