At 40, Cormier talks about retirement: 'I want to stop holding the belt'

D. Cormier is close to retirement. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @dc_mma

As the days pass, the time for retirement Daniel Cormier is approaching. With a fight scheduled for this Saturday (17), in which he will defend his heavyweight title (up to 120,2 kg) for the second time, at UFC 241, the fighter is close to making a tough decision in his career: to stop or to make one more fight after this weekend. In an interview with 'MMA Fighting', 'DC' spoke about what he thinks about the end of his career.

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“My head is in this fight. We do one thing at a time, because for a champion, and a guy who's been a champion for a long time, at one point you start making incredible amounts of money and the level of fame is so high, people fight to leave,” Cormier said.

Daniel also supported the argument of not wanting to have an apathetic end to his career, as is seen in some situations in MMA. For the fighter, several athletes who were once legends of the sport continue fighting and end up erasing the good things they did for mixed martial arts and the memory that remains are their last performances.

“I said a long time ago that I wouldn't want to be a guy who stands on my own two feet. Many great champions in sport have done this. They retired as former champions. They left their fans with that last glimpse of their favorite athletes from the past. They stand in the center of the octagon while their belt is placed on someone else. I don’t want to be that guy”, asked DC.

The North American states the conditions necessary for him to actually decide to abandon the sport. For Daniel, the decision must be made by the athlete himself in agreement with his physical conditions.

“I want to be a guy who goes out his own way. I know that when you turn 40, that time starts to approach. I just have to decide if that time is now or a little later”, said the heavyweight.

The duel against Stipe Miocic will mark the reunion of the athletes, since DC dethroned his compatriot and assumed the position of title holder in the heavyweight category. In the event of a new victory, there is much speculation about a third confrontation between Cormier and his eternal rival, Jon Jones, current light heavyweight champion (up to 93kg.) and the only athlete on the planet to be able to beat Daniel.

Regarding a possible last fight after UFC 241, Cormier was categorical. The athlete does not deny the possibility, but, however, he has his demands so that he can be convinced to step into the Octagon once again.

“If you have a guy who is in my situation who won 90% of his battles, was a champion and lived this tremendous life that I was blessed with, you don't want to step into the Octagon against just anyone. It needs to be something big”, concluded the fighter.

Currently 40 years old, DC has 23 fights in his professional record, with 22 victories and one defeat. The athlete is also a former light heavyweight champion in