Daniel Cormier's coach says that he could keep fighting if he wants to: "He's not performing like a 41-year-old"
Daniel Cormier is all set to wrap up his legendary MMA career this Saturday night as he concludes his trilogy with Stipe Miocic to prove who the greatest Heavyweight in the world is.
Daniel Cormier's intention is to retire on top, but he's stated before that win or lose, he's going to call it quits on his career. The original plan seemed to be for him to retire after his 40th birthday. But after the Brock Lesnar fight fell through, he gave Stipe Miocic a second crack at the title and was defeated in an epic contest.
Daniel Cormier's long-time coach Javier Mendez of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) spoke about Cormier's future to MMA Fighting and said that 'DC' can still keep going if he wants to:
“He’s not performing like a 41-year-old,” Mendez said. “He’s in shape. His mind is sharp, his reflexes are sharp. He’s fighting like the best heavyweight there is."
He said that Daniel Cormier is performing at the highest level and could do it for longer:
“If you’re performing at that level, who’s to say you should retire? Only he can decide if he wants to retire. His abilities can say he can do it longer. I don’t know how many fights he could do, but he can definitely do it now.”
However, Javier Mendez admitted that from a personal standpoint, he would like to see Daniel Cormier retire. He said that he wanted to see him retire before but it was more about standing by his student's side. He said that it was important for him to stand by his fighters and not about what he wanted.
Daniel Cormier's last stand
Saturday night looks to be the end of one of the greatest and most decorated careers in MMA history. Daniel Cormier has established a strong legacy of being one of UFC's four two-division Champions - the second to do so after Conor McGregor.
It's going to be interesting to see whether he comes out on top at the end of it.