Stipe Miocic campaigns for championship rematch ahead of Daniel Cormier retirement date

MMAfighting.com

Stipe Miocic respects Daniel Cormier’s plans to close out his career. He just wants to make sure he’s part of them.

The former UFC heavyweight champion and record holder for most consecutive defenses in that division has been on Cormier’s case for a rematch ever since the two fought at UFC 226 last July. Cormier, who entered the bout as the light heavyweight champion, defeated Miocic by first-round KO to end Miocic’s reign and become a two-division title holder.

Since then, Cormier has openly campaigned for a potentially lucrative bout with UFC and WWE star Brock Lesnar and also teased a renewed rivalry with longtime foil Jon Jones, with neither seeds baring any tangible fruit as of yet. Meanwhile, Miocic is insisting that he wants nothing less than a chance to avenge his loss Cormier.

On Monday, he tweeted at Cormier, reminding him that March 20, Cormier’s birthday, is coming up soon and that Miocic would make for a fitting final opponent. “DC” announced last year that he would retire at the age of 40 and that milestone is just around the corner.

Stipe Miocic✔@stipemiocic

.@dc_mma March 20 is coming up quick. Let’s settle this and get this fight on the books before you blow the candles out on that cake.5,788 6:46 PM – Jan 14, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 891 people are talking about this

“March 20 is coming up quick,” Miocic wrote. “Let’s settle this and get this fight on the books before you blow out the candles on that cake.”

Cormier has one defense of the heavyweight title under his belt, a second-round submission win over Derrick Lewis at UFC 230, and he no longer holds the light heavyweight title after voluntarily relinquishing it in the face of it being forcefully vacated so that it might be awarded to the winner of a Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson bout at UFC 232 (Jones would go on to defeat Gustafsson to begin his second official reign atop the 205-pound division).

He had previously said that he would be open to fighting Miocic again should Lesnar be unavailable, but Cormer’s immediate plans remain unclear.