When Daniel Cormier won his second UFC title by knocking out Stipe Miocic at UFC 226, and then immediately had a superfight with Brock Lesnar appear on the horizon, questions started mounting as to whether Cormier would ever fight again at light heavyweight. Cormier insisted that he would return to 205 pounds to defend his belt one last time before the fight with Lesnar, and nearly two months removed, the double champ remains adamant that he still plans on doing just that.

“For me to go back down, it’s going to be difficult to defend this belt,” Cormier said on a recent episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan. “But I plan on doing it.”

“Honestly, I am a heavyweight. I weigh 245 pounds, normally. But then I cut down to 205 whenever I fight [at] 205, so I lose 40 pounds to fight in that weight class.”

Cormier has struggled with the weight cut to 205 for a long time, most notably when he nearly (cough cough) missed weight for his title defense against Anthony Johnson at UFC 210. Meanwhile, ‘DC’ has a perfect track record at heavyweight, having gone 14-0 and winning both the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix and now the UFC title, an accomplishment that he feels cements his legacy among the all-time greats.

“I’m 39 years old, so for a long time, I thought about being remembered as one of the greats,” Cormier said. “And by doing this, I’m always gonna be remembered as my career ends.”

Cormier has said he intends to retire by March 20, 2019.

MUST-READ STORIES

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Peace. Conor McGregor rejects Floyd Mayweather training offer: ‘There is no peace here.’

Aggressive. Darren Till gives update on his weight, ‘can’t wait to say f*ck you’ to critics.

Goodbye. UFC releases one-time bantamweight title challenger Joe Soto.

VIDEO STEW

Darren Till workout highlights.

KO of the Week.

Gaethjesus has spoken.

Savage.

Floyd making peace.

Darren Till’s preparation.

LISTEN UP

Fights Gone By. Jack Slack on the greatness of Justin Gaethje.

Obviously Fight Talk. Discussing UFC 229 and how big a card it will be.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Conor does not sound like he’s up for it.

Fuck the Mayweathers, except Senior and Roger.

There is no peace here kid.

Step up or step down. — Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 29, 2018

So salty.

Ahhhh @Showtimepettis ... Don’t Bring In The Gym As An Excuse. I Had No Problem Leaving. My Team Was Chill About It. I Was Reffering To Weigh In’s & Your Unprofessionalism. See You Soon Kid-Champ -Team El Cucuy- #snapjntuit SnapJitsu™️ @arielhelwani — Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) August 29, 2018

Respect.

Hey @EliasTheodorou Sorry for having to drop out of the fight in SP. Was simply impossible. I hope they rebook us! No direspect meant. @Alexdavismma — Cara de Sapato (@caradesapatojr) August 28, 2018

Hey @caradesapatojr I appreciate your message and humbly accept. This is an unforgiving sport and wish you a speedy recovery.... maybe we'll be fighting in my neck of the woods next. ;) https://t.co/ezbPSdJjLz — The Mane Event™ (@EliasTheodorou) August 28, 2018

Stepping up.

Again, I'm available for Sept 22 if @ufc needs a replacement...I'd prefer not to fight a fellow Canadian with such amazing hair, but for @EliasTheodorou I'd make an exception https://t.co/Lp0Br1UUoo — Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) August 29, 2018

John Lineker is a hero.

“ Everyone just waiting? Whats the matter with these guys? @DominickCruz ? @RaphaAssuncao ? @MMARLONMORAES ? Anybody else home? Do I have to go to 155 to have some fun? — John Lineker (@johnlineker) August 29, 2018

Wouldn’t hurt.

3 things that would make MMA better instantly.



1. Open scoring

2. Flat pay, win or lose

3. All finishes get bonuses https://t.co/QYj5KOtQ6n — Din Thomas (@DinThomas) August 28, 2018

He’s back.

Congrats!

God blessed @EmilyLaprise and I with a beautiful 10lb baby boy today! Mom and baby are doing great! #prouddad #family pic.twitter.com/NUc4ghOCTc — Chad Laprise (@ChadLaprise) August 28, 2018

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Carlo Pedersoli (11-1) vs. Alex Oliveira (18-5-1, 2 NC); UFC Sao Paulo, Sep. 22.

TODAY IN MMA HISTORY

2009: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira won a unanimous decision in his long awaited fight Randy Couture at UFC 102. This event may be best remembered for Nate Marquardt smashing Demian Maia in 21 seconds with one of the best knockouts of the year.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow.

EXIT POLL

Poll Does DC fight again before Brock? This poll is closed. 54% Yes (931 votes)

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