UFC News: Daniel Cormier to face Stipe Miocic next summer

It is official! The much-anticipated trilogy fight between reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and former two-division world champion Daniel Cormier will take place sometime in the summer of 2020, according to UFC president Dana White.

In an interaction with MMA Junkie, Cormier said that the fight will definitely take place but not before June 2020.

“There’s no time for us to fight until maybe June. The way the UFC quarterly schedule is looking, the UFC essentially, with them announcing Tony (Ferguson) and Khabib (Nurmagomedov) for April, there’s really no time.”

Cormier underwent back surgery last year and he is raring to go; he insists that he wants to fight Miocic sooner rather than later but the champion gets to call the shots so it's on Stipe to confirm the date.

“I’m ready to go, but he’s the champ. He’s the champ, he makes the rules. So I’m on standby and I’m waiting to see when this guy says that we’re going to fight. When he does, I’ll be prepared. I’ll be ready – even more prepared than the last time because I feel I can prepare better from the very start right now."

Cormier also addressed rumors of the fight against Miocic apparently being his last professional MMA bout.

“It’s the only fight I want to stick around for at this point. Stipe and I have a fantastic rivalry. I won the first fight in tremendous fashion and he won the second fight in tremendous fashion."