Stipe Pass on Cormier Trilogy, Wants Fury Instead

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White has already gone on record to say current Heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic, and ex-title holder, Daniel Cormier, will run it back a third time for the 265-pound strap once Stipe is healthy.

Not so fast, says the champ.

According to Miocic, he is now more interested in a fight against Tyson Fury and being the one to welcome the big man into mixed martial arts (MMA).

“I saw Tyson Fury is coming into the mix now here,” Miocic said during a recent chat on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “I like a new challenge.”

Tyson recently made headlines after expressing interest in coming over to UFC to test his skills, though Dana isn’t too convinced the big man will fair so well. At the end of the day, however, money talks.

Nevertheless, Miocic says the allure of facing Fury does more to peak his interest than fighting “DC” a third time after reclaiming the belt at UFC 241 via knockout (see it again here).

Regarding his 1-1 record against the former champ-champ, Miocic says his knockout over Daniel was different when compared to Cormier’s at UFC 226.

“With ‘DC,’ I didn’t fluke knock him out. I beat him. I decisively beat him. That first fight, congrats to ‘DC’ but he caught me with a punch, first shot. But that night, no excuses, he beat me. But the second fight, I won. I didn’t get lucky I just worked him.”

Of course, the chances of Stipe facing Fury anytime soon — in any arena — aren’t that great, which means Cormier will get the chance to ride off into the sunset as a champion in 2020. Stipe, meanwhile, gets to prove that his win over the former Olympian wasn’t a fluke.

Miocic revealed he underwent eye surgery to correct issues as a result of multiple eye pokes in his two fight against Cormier, and is hoping to return in the first quarter of 2020.

“Probably multiple eye pokes from my last two fights,” Miocic said regarding his damaged eye. “Yeah, I mean it didn’t help my cause, but getting punched doesn’t help either.”

“I got done with the fight seeing spots in my eye. I (saw things) I’ve never saw before. It just didn’t feel right. We actually went to the retinal doctor. He’s like, ‘Yeah, you have a tear in your retina.’ A little procedure will fix it up, so hopefully it’ll heal up and stay that way.”