Khabib Wants Daniel Cormier to Retire After Stipe Miocic Fight

Daniel Cormier has a massive fight coming up on Saturday night when he faces Stipe Miocic in UFC 241. This heavyweight battle is a rematch between the pair after DC knocked out Miocic to originally capture the belt in UFC 226. Winning will ensure that Cormier is still the heavyweight champion for the foreseeable future, but will it mark the end of his career?

According to TMZ Sports, Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks that this upcoming bout on Saturday night should mark the final time that Cormier enters the octagon. However, his viewpoint is not coming from a place of anger.

Khabib and Cormier train together and are very close friends in everyday life.

“Honestly I want him retire, honestly,” Khabib said to TMZ Sports. “He have job, he have money. He’s like one of the greatest athlete who ever compete in the UFC. I really want him to retire. Because 40 years is not like 30 years. I really want him to win this fight and say, ‘Hey, I enjoy with you guys long time. Right now, I have to stop this.’”

At this point in his career, Cormier has nothing left to prove if he defeats Miocic. He is the current heavyweight champion and is the only UFC fighter to win and defend the title in two separate weight classes. Cormier also won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in 2015 and successfully defended his title three separate times.

In his 24-match career, Cormier has 10 knockouts and has been one of the most exciting fighters in multiple weight classes. Saturday will be another opportunity for him to prove that he is one of the UFC’s best fighters while defending his heavyweight title once again.

If Cormier achieves victory over Miocic once again, will he walk away like Khabib hopes? It’s possible, but certainly not guaranteed. As Khabib told TMZ Sports, “He’s like Olympic athlete level. These people cannot say ‘I’m finished.’” He doesn’t expect Cormier to walk away, especially if he achieves victory once again. Instead, it will be a situation where the champion would be set up for a battle against Jon Jones.

“I don’t think he’s gonna retire after this fight. Me, Coach Jav, all team, we really want him retire, cause we love him.”