In their last meeting, Daniel Cormier came up short against Stipe Miocic, losing his UFC heavyweight title in the process. According to his head coach Javier Mendez, however, he wasn’t 100% going into the fight.
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Mendez revealed that Cormier wasn’t at 100% during the rematch between the two Heavyweights.
“Well, you know, we all make excuses, we all say this and that, and I’m good at making excuses, too, you know, because I’ve done it,” Mendez said, looking back on the Cormier vs. Miocic rematch. “But the bottom line is I like to tell the truth. It does come out as an excuse, but Daniel just did have surgery not too long after that fight. He was not 100 percent going in. He was good. He was ready for the title bout, don’t get me wrong, but he wasn’t the same as he was the first fight, straight up. And I know it doesn’t sound good to say that, but I’ll take the heat. It’s fine, blast away, I’m fine with that. It’s the truth, though.”
Mendez was also trying to be careful with his words not to take anything away from Miocic.
“Stipe won fair and square,” Mendez said of the win over Cormier. “He hit beautiful body shots. He recovered. He was losing all the rounds; he recovered fantastic. I mean, hey, if I’ve got to say anything, man, props to him.”
With Stipe Miocic winning the rematch, him and Daniel Cormier are now tied 1-1, as Cormier won the first fight by a 1st-round knockout. They are expected to meet in a tie-breaking trilogy fight, with the UFC Heavyweight title on the line, sometime in the near future.
Mendez also talked about Cormier potentially retiring from the fight game if that rematch doesn’t happen.
“He’s set on Stipe,” Mendez said of Cormier. “And if he doesn’t get Stipe, then that will probably be it. So that would be in the best interest of the UFC, if they want to save one marquee fight, which is a great trilogy – one of the best trilogies they’ve had. So they’re both 1-1, so it’s a great trilogy fight in the heavyweight division. I think the UFC is very smart, and I would believe and I’m 100 percent thinking they’re going to say that’s the fight to make.”
This article first appeared on CLOSEDGUARDMEDIA.com on 22nd February, 2020.
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