UFC 252 Preview: Daniel Cormier Historical UFC Closing Odds

Fight fans might only get one more chance to see Daniel Cormier compete. The former two-division UFC champion has said that his plan is to retire from mixed martial arts following his third fight against current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. That fight headlines Saturday’s UFC 252 pay-per-view card from UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Miocic had set a UFC record with three consecutive title defenses when the two met in July 2018 in the main event of UFC 226. At the time, Cormier was the UFC light heavyweight kingpin. Cormier became a dual champ when he knocked out Miocic at the 4:33 mark of the the first round of that contest to capture the heavyweight crown.

After that win, Cormier was expected to fight Brock Lesnar. That matchup never came to be. Instead, he defended the title against Derrick Lewis in November 2018. Cormier won that contest via submission.

Cormier and Miocic met a second time in August 2019. Miocic evened the score in that contest with a fourth-round knockout win over Cormier. The victory was his UFC heavyweight record-tying fifth title fight victory.

Cormier made his UFC debut as a heavyweight. He defeated former champion Frank Mir in that contest. Cormier then topped Roy Nelson before he dropped to light heavyweight in 2014. Cormier stayed at 205 pounds until his first fight with Miocic.

UFC 252 takes place Saturday, Aug. 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The pay-per-view card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Below is a look at Cormier’s closing odds for his UFC career.