Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic Trilogy Set for UFC 252, Says Dana White

Stipe Miocic will put the heavyweight championship on the line against Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 on Aug. 15.

UFC President Dana White announced the fight Tuesday on ESPN's First Take.

This will be the third meeting between Miocic and Cormier. Cormier prevailed at UFC 226 in July 2018 before Miocic avenged the defeat at UFC 241 last August.

The location for Miocic vs. Cormier remains unclear because the UFC has had to move multiple events because of the coronavirus pandemic. UFC 252 was originally slated for T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11.

White finally divulged some of the details for the long-awaited Fight Island. The company will move operations to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, with four cards lined up across July.

A rubber match between Miocic and Cormier was the most logical step for both fighters. They're both at a stage—Miocic is 37, and Cormier is 41—in their careers where they might begin winding things down. One man will be able to hang up his gloves with bragging rights in perpetuity.

Cormier told Bleacher Report's Tom Taylor in May that he didn't want to leave unfinished business with the current champion.

"You get to 1-1 and you start thinking, 'We've got to end this thing,'" he said. "It doesn't stop like this. I think it honestly is the greatest heavyweight series the UFC's ever had, and it needs to be finalized. It should not end at 1-1."

Miocic told theScore's James Lynch last month that he didn't want to book a fight while the coronavirus pandemic adversely impacted how he'd be able to train. On Saturday, he signaled he was ready to go, which elicited a response from Cormier:

Conor McGregor announced his retirement Sunday, while Jon Jones is engaged in a protracted war of words with White. That leaves the UFC without two of its most recognizable stars.

Miocic vs. Cormier is one of the few matchups that should guarantee the company a strong pay-per-view return.