Cormier speaks out about Velasquez's retirement: 'It's a sad day'

D. Cormier (left) and C. Velasquez cultivate an old friendship. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @officialcainvelasquez

The news that the former heavyweight champion (up to 120,2kg) of Ultimate, Cain Velazquez, officially retired from MMA, at the age of 37, took a lot of people by surprise. Although the athlete debuted in 2018 in wrestling, few imagined that his retirement from mixed martial arts would come so quickly. The news saddened his friend and teammate, Daniel Cormier, who spoke about his partner's situation in an interview with MMA Fighting.

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“It's a sad day when Cain Velazquez retires. But I know he's doing something he loves. I remember watching him in WWE and you can see him doing something he really loves. I don’t know if he’s ever gotten involved that quickly with anything except when he met his wife,” Daniel said.

Cain made his withdrawal from mixed martial arts official last Friday (11). Recently, the athlete had already requested that his name be excluded from the list of athletes to be tested by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). This proves that the fighter had no plans to work in MMA, at least in the near future, since an athlete, to return to compete in the USA, must have at least six months of blood tests before returning to work professionally.

The friendship between Velasques and DC is such that, while Cain worked in the heavyweight elite, Daniel chose to take his talent to the light heavyweight division, with the intention of not facing his teammate. When Velasquez retired from the sport, after suffering from subsequent injuries, which prevented him from performing regularly, Cormier moved up a category and assumed the role of challenger for the title, which once belonged to his friend.

DC became champion and also stated that, if Cain applied for the belt, he would retire so as not to have to fight his partner or interfere with his dream of regaining the belt.

Currently, Cormier is preparing to try to regain his lost belt to Stipe Miocic in a rematch that took place in August, at UFC 241. The fight will represent the last performance of the fighter's career, according to the former champion. Daniel, today, is 40 years old. The new meeting between DC and Miocic does not yet have a confirmed date and should take place in early 2020.

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