The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Miocic responds to Cormier
In early March, Stipe Miocic had his sights set on a trilogy fight with Daniel Cormier in the summer.
That is until the novel coronavirus pandemic forced Ohio into a virtual lockdown, per the orders of Gov. Mike DeWine.
That order has forced the heavyweight champion and Cleveland firefighter to stay at home with no place to train. His gym, Strong Style in Independence, has been closed since the second week of March.
That hasn’t stopped the No. 1 contender Cormier from calling out Miocic for a title fight in August.
“Come on champ. Sign the contract,” Cormier told ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto.
“Let’s go. What are you doing? It’s nonsense. We admire all those things about you — helping people during this crisis time. But you’re also champion of the world. Come on man, sign the contract. Get this thing done.”
Miocic, who defeated Cormier last August in Anaheim, Calif., to win back the heavyweight belt, said he’s not ducking Cormier. He promises to give Cormier a shot at the championship belt, but first things first.
“I have no cage,” Miocic told Okamoto. “I have no (sparring partner). I have nothing. I need a full camp. I need to get back in the swing of things before I get into a full camp. I’m so used to training all the time. Now you can’t do anything. Stay at home. There’s no place for me to train. I literally can’t train. How am I going to take a fight?”
The normal length of camp planned by Miocic’s coach Marcus Marinelli at Strong Style usually consists of 10 to 12 months.
However, Miocic said heading back to the gym during such unusual circumstances isn’t as simple as showing up at Strong Style’s front doors and diving head first into intense training for a world title fight.
“I’ve worked hard to get where I’m at,” said Miocic.
“I’m not going to put half my effort into it just because (Cormier) wants to fight me in August.”
Miocic said until the stayat-home order is lifted it’s difficult to gauge when he would be ready for his next fight, but did project some time in late fall as realistic.
Complicating matters for Miocic (19-3) is the eye injury he suffered in
his second fight vs. Cormier. He’s been on the mend since defeating Cormier (22-1) as he suffered a small tear in his retina — thanks to an eye poke. In November, Miocic told The NewsHerald he had surgery to repair it and that he’s recovering well.
“Listen, I’ll fight him,” said Miocic. “I’ve never said I’m ducking him or trying to fight someone else … Let me get a full camp in. It’s not going to be August, I can tell you that.”
Cormier has been talking about retirement since he beat Miocic in July 2018, but now seems more committed than ever to see through on a trilogy.
“I think I beat him up so bad in the first round I lost respect for him,” Cormier said about his second bout vs. Miocic. “I’m gonna beat him up like that again. I’m a better fighter than Stipe Miocic. I just want to go prove it. I should have never lost to him. That’s going to be one of my greatest regrets.”
Meanwhile, the UFC seems committed to hosting events during the pandemic. Their next event is set for May 9 in Jacksonville, Fla. Miocic admitted anything is possible with the UFC in go-mode, and that might include being pressured to speed up his return to the octagon.
“When we get to that point, I’ll talk about it,” said Miocic. “Right now, I’m just waiting for my gym to open so I can train again. It’s completely out of my hands.”