Daniel Cormier’s head coach Javier Mendez believes that we did not see the best version of DC during his two losses to Stipe Miocic.
The years possessed by every man are tender, but much more so are the years of the athlete. Daniel Cormier has been competing for nearly his entire life and certainly his entire adult life. And after years of wrestling championships followed by titles and recognition in mixed martial arts, Daniel Cormier was prepared to walk away on his own terms at UFC 252 in his trilogy fight against Stipe Miocic.
2019-2020 Daniel Cormier Not The Same?
Daniel Cormier would lose his final fight via unanimous decision, failing to gain retribution for his loss to Miocic a year prior at UFC 241. Cormier has not made any excuses for either loss, nor has his camp, but that doesn’t mean his team believes he was in his prime when he stepped in the Octagon those two final times.
“100% after the surgery (Cormier) was never the same,” Cormier’s head coach Javier Mendez told The Schmo in a recent interview. “In all fairness, we still felt he was good enough to retain that title. We still felt he could have kept that title. But we knew he slowed down, 100%. We knew he wasn’t the same. We see him day in, day out. We know what he’s all about. We know what he can do. We knew that he lost a step, yes. He 100% did.
“Now was it due to the back injury? Partially. Was it due to age? Partially,” Mendez added. “So I say a combination of both. I mean, it’s like everybody says: the older you get, the slower you get.”
Daniel Cormier’s back surgery took place after he defeated Derrick Lewis at UFC 230. The only two fights he competed in after the surgery were against Stipe Miocic. In the only fight that Cormier and Miocic had pre-surgery, it was Cormier who had his hand raised. As is the case in every sport, there will always be what-ifs. But for what it’s worth, Cormier seems at peace with the way his career has turned out, even if the ending did not go according to plan.
What are your thoughts on Daniel Cormier’s coach stating that DC was not the same going into his last two fights against Stipe Miocic?
