UFC's Daniel Cormier Training, Living in Bubble to Protect Pregnant Wife

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Daniel Cormier says he's been training in a "bubble" for his fight with Stipe Miocic because of concerns about COVID-19. 

"Because of the coronavirus, I can't even stay in the house with my family," Cormier told TMZ Sports. "I'm interacting with a whole bunch of people from the outside. ... For the vast majority of this camp, since June 30, the last six weeks of my training camp, I've been staying at my old house. ... We've been essentially staying in a bubble. Me and my training partners, we all just stay at my house."

While it's not a requirement that UFC fighters train in a bubble, Cormier has been doing so out of concern for his family—specifically his wife, who is pregnant with their third child.

"I got a pregnant wife who's seven-and-a-half months pregnant. Two kids, a nine-year-old, an eight-year-old, and I'm not even living at home because I'm having to prepare for this fight—but that also shows the commitment from the family to understand what I'm trying to do here is so special," Cormier said.

Cormier is planning to retire after his UFC 252 bout against Miocic, regardless of the result. The heavyweight title fight will be the third in their trilogy, with Cormier winning the first and Miocic taking the second. 

Cormier said he's at peace with retiring because his body doesn't respond to his training regimen the same way at age 41, and he does not want to spend more time away from his family.  

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content

"I think that all the things I've done at heavyweight and at light heavyweight makes me one of the greatest fighters of all time, period," Cormier said. "But if I become a two-time heavyweight champion, there's only a few guys that've done that before in their careers. I think that by being the most dominant heavyweight of all time twice would make me the greatest heavyweight the UFC's ever seen."

Cormier has a 22-2 (1) overall record in his MMA career, spending most of his early career at heavyweight before transitioning to light heavyweight and capturing the championship in 2015. He won his first UFC heavyweight title at UFC 226 over Miocic in their first fight.