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Daniel Cormier Was Disappointed Brock Lesnar Fight Didn’t Happen: ‘I Think He Made the Smart Decision’

June 23, 2019 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Daniel Cormier Brock Lesnar Image Credit: UFC

Daniel Cormier is sad that he didn’t get his fight with Brock Lesnar, but he doesn’t blame anyone for it not happening. Cormier spoke with TMZ about Lesnar retiring from the UFC before they got their bout and why the fight ultimately didn’t come about. Highlights and the video are below:

On not getting his fight with Brock Lesnar: “I was disappointed. You know? Like, I wanted to fight Brock. I’ve known Brock for a long time. I competed with Brock for a long time in wrestling and you know, I’ve always been a fan of his and we had that great moment at UFC 226 so the build was gonna be fun. But you know, you can only really worry about things that you can control. I can’t control that he doesn’t want to fight anymore. He’s done.”

On not blaming anyone for the fight not happening: “I know the UFC and Brock tried to make this happen. It just didn’t, so I appreciate all parties involved trying to get it done but, just didn’t work, man. Things don’t always go as you wished they do.”

On if he did anything to try and make the fight happen: “So here’s the deal, right? Even though Brock and I are buddies, when we were getting prepared to fight each other, there was no texting and talking anymore. He became the opponent. From the moment he got into the Ocatgon [at UFC 226] and pushed me, it was like, ‘Okay Brock, I’ve known you for a while and we’re cool. But I’m gonna kick your ass when we get into the Octagon.’ So therew was no more texting and talking. Maybe now, since that part of our deal is done, maybe I can start going to watch him wrestle and do all the other stuff again. But the moment we were ready to fight, there was no more friendships. We were gonna fight each other.”

On why it didn’t happen: “I don’t know exactly what it was. Honestly I just think WWE gave him such a great deal. Like, they really always take care of this guy. And ultimately, you get paid that much money to go and wrestle as opposed to fighting me, there’s no predetermined outcome there. I’m gonna try to kick your ass so, I think he made the smart decision. But he always does. Brock always does what’s best for Brock and his family and you can’t fault a guy for doing that.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit TMZ Sports with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.