Is Daniel Cormier Making the Right Move Taking the Fight Against Derrick Lewis?

Daniel Cormier is the reigning light heavyweight and heavyweight champion of the world, and on November 3, he will defend the heavyweight strap against Derrick Lewis.

But is it the right decision?

The UFC desperately needed a headlining bout for their return visit to Madison Square Garden, but Cormier has many potential bouts that would be bigger than the clash with Lewis. Especially on such short notice. Should Cormier have waited? Is taking the fight actually the right move with so many questions surrounding Brock Lesnar?

With the help of Steven Rondina, we examine those questions. Is Cormier making the right move? Let's debate the pros and cons of UFC 230's main event for the champ-champ.

Steven: A couple weeks back, I touched upon this in my UFC 230 preview. When Brock Lesnar came out and shoved Daniel Cormier following his heavyweight title win at UFC 226, it seemed like the course for the rest of his career had been set. He'd take the rest of the year off, fight Lesnar in January or February, then (probably) retire as a wealthy champ-champ.

As we tore pages off the calendar, though, the details of his retirement became less and less clear, and then came the news of Cormier defending the heavyweight strap from Derrick Lewis. That's quite the left turn on what seemed to be a straight path to his final fight.

There's a lot to unpack here, but the most significant factor, in my book, is the weighing of risk against reward for Cormier.

So, Nathan, in your estimation, how did we get here? What changed for Cormier? And above all, is this the right move for him?

Nathan: We got here because the UFC needed something significant for this event, and they were not going to give fans a new 165-pound division. Their options were limited, and with their backs to the wall, they were able to make this heavyweight tilt happen.

As for what changed for Cormier, I am not sure. What was curious is that just when we thought everything was in place for Cormier vs. Lesnar, including him dropping the WWE championship to Roman Reigns, Lesnar made a surprise return at one of their pay-per-view events. So, was this all a tease? Was it just a ploy? His return to the entertainment world of wrestling just caused more confusion and cast doubt on the heavyweight title fight.

And I think that is the crux of the issue.

If Lesnar was just using it as a negotiation tactic or had a change of heart, then taking this fight is not a terrible idea. If somehow he got word that Lesnar was not going to be able to fight him before March, which is his self-imposed deadline for retirement (h/t MMAFighting.com's Shaun Al-Shatti), then taking the fight makes some sense.

But we don't know any of that to be the truth. In which case, this was an awful decision. It's speculatory so that we can try to make sense of the decision. This bout is a massive risk. Derrick Lewis is funny and got a big boost from UFC 229, but he's not Brock Lesnar. This could be a huge financial misfire. As good as DC is, as good as his chin is, all it takes is one punch to end it. Oh, and Cormier's hand isn't even properly healed yet (h/t MMAFighting.com's Shaun Al-Shatti).

Admittedly, we don't know the full story. But when peeking out to the front yard from behind the blinds, this seems like a terrible decision to take such a massive risk when a windfall is around the corner.

Steven: Without getting too deep into the churnings of the WWE rumor mill, I don't think there's any reason to doubt the legitimacy of Lesnar's MMA return quite yet. Lesnar has been getting visibly leaner over the last six months and while there are plenty of explanations for that, the most likely is that he wants to walk around closer to the heavyweight division's 265-pound weight limit.

Yes, everything in and out of kayfabe suggested that Lesnar's expiration date in WWE was April 9—the day after WrestleMania 34—but I feel like his relatively active schedule in the months since can be directly chalked up to the WWE's lucrative deal with Saudi Arabia.

That agreement may or may not last much longer (the promotion has been in hot water over it due to the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi), but the oil-rich nation has thrown enough money at the WWE to make the Undertaker a regular part of weekly programming and lure Shawn Michaels out of retirement. If it can do that, it can certainly get a few matches out of Lesnar while he waits for his USADA suspension to run out.

All that, of course, backs up your larger point that this is a big risk for Cormier.

I think you'll agree with me when I say that Cormier is a smart man. I doubt that this is lost on him. So, what gives?

Do you think UFC President Dana White was that desperate to save UFC 230 that he was willing to give Cormier a good deal? Or do you think that Cormier just really likes his chances against Lewis?

Nathan: The second question is easy: yes. I highly doubt Cormier is taking this fight lightly, but knowing that a huge retirement fight in early 2019 looms, he would not want to risk this with something akin to a Jon Jones fight where the outcome is bleak. He is a smart dude. Remember, Stipe Miocic offered to fight Cormier on this event, but he was never offered the fight (h/t ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto). It is not a fight I would expect Cormier to take anyhow as the risk-reward elements are too high as opposed to fighting Lewis.

The first question is more difficult, more complex.

Was White and the UFC desperate? Absolutely. Were they willing to give Cormier a good deal? Eh, that is where I begin to balk. My pessimism that the UFC would pony up to anyone other than McGregor is high, but they surely compensated Cormier to some degree, right?

I think the real answer is somewhere in the middle.

Cormier got something a little more favorable both for his bank account and for the matchup.

Steven: To be honest, I can't blame Cormier for liking his chances here.

We've seen plenty of the Black Beast at this point. We know his strengths (punching power, social media) and we know his weaknesses (pretty much everything else). He's basically a tailor-made matchup for Cormier. This is about as safe a fight as Cormier can expect as UFC heavyweight champion and if he feels like the reward is worth the risk, I'm not going to question him.

That doesn't mean I'm not scared for him, though.

There's a Yiddish proverb that goes "man plans and God laughs," and the gods that control MMA are about as sadistic as they get. There would be a horrible kind of poetry to the final chapter of Cormier's MMA career being him missing a layup and losing that big-money Lesnar fight.

I'm not going to bet on it happening, mind you, but Cormier is looking for a happy ending to his career. How many of those have we actually seen in MMA?