UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has no interest in fighting during the coronavirus pandemic.
Miocic was last seen in action back in Aug. 2019. He got his revenge against Daniel Cormier, scoring a fourth-round TKO victory. In the process, Miocic regained the UFC heavyweight championship. Since that time, he has been recovering from an eye procedure.
Stipe Miocic Won’t Be Fighting During Pandemic
Stipe Miocic spoke to James Lynch of theScore MMA and revealed that he has no plans to compete amid the COVID-19 crisis.
“There’s no way. I can’t get a full camp in, so there’s no reason to fight.”
Miocic also had an interview with MMAJunkie.com. During that talk, the heavyweight king talked about his fear of bringing the virus back home to his family.
“(It’s scary), especially with my daughter and my wife. I don’t want to bring it home,” Miocic told MMA Junkie in a recent interview. “At the same time, it’s what we signed up for. First responders, fire fighters, paramedics, nurses, doctors – this is what they signed up for. They know that things can happen.”
Many anticipate a trilogy bout between Miocic and Cormier. UFC president Dana White has revealed his plan to book the fight. Cormier has said that it’s the Miocic trilogy or bust in terms of his fighting future. If “DC” ultimately gets the fight, he plans to retire win or lose. Miocic revealed that all signs pointed to the trilogy bout happening this summer before COVID-19 took over.
The world of sports hasn’t been an exception to the wrath of the coronavirus. That includes the UFC. The promotion has been forced to postpone several events. UFC 249 was forced to be moved from April 18 to May 9. The promotion is holding the event inside the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. No fans will be in attendance.