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

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.

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.