Daniel Cormier refused to fight Stipe Miocic for $500k, so he called the heavyweight champ and asked for more

Not long after he smashed Volkan Oezdemir at the UFC 220 pay-per-view (PPV) event earlier this month in Boston (watch it), reigning 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier was presented with the opportunity to return to the heavyweight division for a champion vs. champion super fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 226.

Right after he got permission from Cain Velasquez.

But “DC” was not about to throw hands with the “baddest man on the planet” for a paltry $500,000. So he made a phone call to his upcoming opponent and demanded more, which not surprisingly, was met with little resistance.

Cormier talks to Flo Combat:

“I called Stipe. Obviously, you know, great guy, I got to spend some time with him, fantastic champion, just a pillar of his community. I can’t say enough good things about Stipe Miocic. With that being said, I told Stipe for $500,000, I’m not fighting Stipe Miocic. I threw out a bigger number and said for that number, I’m fighting Stipe Miocic. He goes, ‘I fucking love you.’ That’s what he said. I said for the right numbers we need to do this. His wife is in the back going, ‘Yes, DC!’”

His wife might want to retract this statement.

While light heavyweight champions before him (like this guy) have previously teased a run at the heavyweight strap, no one from the 205-pound division ever made their way up north, simply because most weight classes are separated by 10 pounds.

Heavyweight can have up to a 60-pound differential, and that doesn’t include some of the monsters who cut weight to make the 265-pound limit. Fortunately for Cormier, he’s already experienced in the land of the big men.

The proof is in the pudding.