Daniel Cormier Details Why He Took UFC 230 Title Fight

Daniel Cormier didn’t expect he’d be fighting on UFC 230 next month (Sat. November 3, 2018).

Cormier is scheduled to take on Derrick Lewis in the main event of the Madison Square Garden card. He’ll be defending his heavyweight throne against “The Black Beast,” who has established himself as one of the UFC’s most entertaining fighters. It’s certainly a risk for Cormier, who has a superfight with Brock Lesnar waiting on the horizon.

However, as he tells ESPN, the UFC offered the “Champ Champ” a deal he couldn’t possibly refuse:

“I didn’t think I was going to fight on this card, but the deal I got was so good,” Cormier said.

“There was no way I could say no, honestly. Especially with a guy like Derrick, who is not known for the best cardio. I’ve got to start fast and hope I can push harder than him, even with a short camp.”

Cormier has had a storied journey throughout his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. With no shortage of accolades – a former King Of The Cage, Strikeforce, and of course UFC heavyweight (and light heavyweight) champion – “DC” is certainly one of the all-time greats. He’ll now get the opportunity to headline a UFC pay-per-view (PPV) from Madison Square Garden.

Recently, Cormier has made it very clear that his time inside the cage is coming to a close. He has stated before he has probably two fights left in him. Those being Brock Lesnar and a possible rematch with Jon Jones. With the addition of Derrick Lewis to the mix, Cormier seems to be sticking to his number:

“Counting the Lewis fight, I think I’m down to two fights left,” Cormier said. “Maybe this will be a blessing in disguise, the fact that I don’t have a crazy, long fight camp to beat myself down.

“That may prolong it for me, but right now, I think I have this one and maybe one more. I can still fight in March and hit my retirement date. The one opponent that would matter to me most is Jones, because he’s beaten me twice.”

(The second win was later overturned to a no contest due to a Jones positive drug test.) The one that would mean more financially would be Lesnar. I think I would always pick the one that means more, but my wife might have something to say about that.”