According to UFC president Dana White, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and former champ Daniel Cormier will square off for a third time.
In an interview with Barstool Sports, White revealed the UFC’s plans to book the trilogy fight between Miocic (19-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) and Cormier (22-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) for a date and location to be determined.
The UFC president indicated the timing and location of the targeted booking is largely contingent on current champion Miocic’s ongoing recovery process from their second contest.
“Stipe is still recovering from that fight,” White said. “He’s got some bumps and bangs from that fight. We’re waiting for him to heal and then we’re going to do the trilogy … It’s going to depend on Stipe’s physical (condition).”
At UFC 241 in August, the two heavyweights squared off in a rematch from their July 2018 bout. While Cormier knocked out Miocic the first time around, Mioicic returned the favor the second time around.
After he struggled to contain Cormier earlier in the fight, Miocic connected with a series of fight-ending blows to regain the championship title he lost a year prior.
If Miocic and Cormier immediately get paired again, the booking would kill the aims of No. 1 contender Francis Ngannou. The Cameroonian heavyweight has won three straight fights by first-round knockout in hopes of securing a rematch against Miocic, who defeated him via unanimous decision at UFC 220.
When Ngannou spoke with MMA Junkie on Saturday, he shared the opinion he was next in line for the title and cited statements made by White earlier in 2019.
“I’ve been waiting for it,” Ngannou told MMA Junkie on Saturday in Las Vegas. “After my last fight, Dana White said we’re going to see how it plays out between ‘DC’ and Stipe. I’m willing. I’m ready for it.
“I think I’m going to have my revenge, and definitely it’s not going to go the same way as the last one. 2019, hopefully – that would be great.”
