Daniel Cormier Talks UFC Retirement in IG Post: 'I Have Loved Every Minute'

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier discussed his retirement in an Instagram post Monday:

"Thank you all for the love and support. Not what I wanted or expected but it is what it is. Congrats to [Stipe Miocic] on a fantastic fight, was an honor and pleasure to share the octagon with you for 50 minutes. Boy did we give 'em a show everytime. To my team: I love you all to death, you've made so many sacrifices. I hope I made you guys proud. Salina and the kids: thank you for being my motivation. To all the fans: I love you so much. You guys push me to try and be great. To [Dana White] and the [UFC]: I have loved every minute. Thank you for giving me the opportunity. Been a helluva ride, huh?"

Cormier had announced he was retiring after Saturday's loss to Stipe Miocic at UFC 252. 

"I'm not interested in fighting for anything but titles, and I don't imagine there's going to be a title in the future, so that'll be it for me," he told Joe Rogan after the fight.

The 41-year-old was seeking to regain his heavyweight title, which he lost to Miocic in 2019. He had previously beaten Miocic in 2018 to initially win the heavyweight belt.

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Cormier had also won the light heavyweight belt during his UFC career, producing a 22-3 overall record in his MMA career (plus one no-contest). His only career losses came to Miocic and Jon Jones, two of the top three fights in the latest UFC pound-for-pound rankings.

A UFC commentator, the California resident has numerous impressive wins on his resume, including over Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Frank Mir and Alexander Gustafsson.

Adding in his wrestling career as a former Olympian and world bronze medalist, Cormier is one of the best combat sports athletes of his generation.