UFC 252 was one for the books as Stipe Miocic defeated Daniel Cormier in their rubber match for the Heavyweight Championship. Miocic wanted to leave no doubt about who the badder man was after their last bout. Well, he might not come with the brazen attitude that fans of the sport flock toward, but the current Heavyweight belt holder gets it done with ruthless efficiency. That huge frame ended up being a huge plus in this third meeting of two titans. His opponent will have to contemplate the future now. Cormier has become a welcome addition to UFC broadcasts and his record in the ring stands alongside some of the greatest to ever step into the octagon. But, these losses to Miocic and Bones Jones will always be a sore spot. But, will the champ take on Francis Ngannou next?
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“It probably does. It would be hard to deny Stipe,” White explained to The Schmo. “We’re saying that this Saturday, the greatest heavyweight ever is the winner of this fight, so to say he’s not good enough for another title fight for the vacant title would be crazy… Francis [Ngannou] is next in line. Again, we’ll see what happens on Saturday, and then yeah, Francis is the guy.”
When asked if this would be the end of the line for either Cormier or Miocic, the UFC head man absolutely shot those assertions down. Cormier has said he’s going to retire after tonight, but White told ESPN that UFC 252 would not be the last we saw of either fighter.
“No, it’s not (Cormier’s last fight),” White explained. “No, it’s not. It’s obviously going to depend on how the fight plays out on Saturday night. If Cormier wins in spectacular fashion, this will not be his last fight. And knowing him the way that I do, if he loses, then it will be, ‘I can’t go out like this.’
“You know me: When people start to talk about retiring, I think they should. Stipe, who people were saying is probably going to retire after this, too, but he squashed that tonight, I don’t think either one of them should retire. They’re two of the best in the world, and they still have a lot left in them. But we’ll see. We’ll see how the fight goes on Saturday.”
What huge UFC fight would you like to see next? Let us know down in the comments!
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
