Will Miocic retire after the fight?

Win or lose, it’s a strong possibility. I asked Miocic in February about retirement and he said he had no plans, but in a recent Tweet he mentioned wrote the R word. At the very least, retirement is on the table at the Miocic household.

Miocic turns 38 in August, and is coming off surgery to repair a detached retina, which is significant. Cormier has poked Miocic in the eye each time during their first two fights. A third could be devastating, and send Miocic into the next phase of his life, and cap a Hall of Fame career.

Miocic has said numerous times since first winning the belt in 2016.

A win would no doubt solidify Miocic’s status as the heavyweight GOAT, and set up two potential intriguing matchups.

The first is a mega, mega fight against UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Jon Jones that would do mega, mega bucks on the pay-per-view counter.

The second is a rematch against the Francis Nganouu, who Miocic dominated in January 2018 to set the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses. Nganouu is younger and bigger than Miocic, but that didn’t stop the champ the first time. Experience, conditioning and a better game plan won out for Miocic in that bout.

The feeling here is Miocic and his camp would not be interested in a Nganouu rematch, which would leave the door open for Jones.

If Miocic comes up short, Cormier might retire on top and that would vacate the heavyweight title. If that happens, a Miocic-Nganouu fight could be in the offing.

That’s if Miocic doesn’t walk away from the octagon.