American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez says Daniel Cormier hasn’t slowed down despite his age.
Cormier will meet UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic a third time on Aug. 15. The heavyweight title bout will headline UFC 252. “DC” has insisted that this will be his final pro MMA bout win or lose.
Javier Mendez Talks Daniel Cormier’s Longevity
Mendez spoke to MMAFighting and said he feels Cormier can continue to fight at an elite level following UFC 252 if he wishes.
“He’s not performing like a 41-year-old,” Mendez said. “He’s in shape. His mind is sharp, his reflexes are sharp. He’s fighting like the best heavyweight there is.
“If you’re performing at that level, who’s to say you should retire? Only he can decide if he wants to retire. His abilities can say he can do it longer. I don’t know how many fights he could do, but he can definitely do it now.”
Cormier and Miocic are 1-1 against one another. “DC” struck first with his first-round knockout victory over Miocic back in July 2018 at UFC 226. Miocic took the Aug. 2019 rematch via fourth-round TKO to regain the heavyweight gold at UFC 241.
MMA News will be providing live coverage of UFC 252 this weekend. Be sure to join us for live results, highlights, and post-fight tidbits on fight night. Check back on our homepage on Friday at noon ET for live weigh-in results. After the weigh-ins, we’ll be posting our main card predictions.
