Coach Mendez can’t understand why Miocic is waiting for Cormier rematch
Javier Mendez advises Stipe Miocic to get ‘back on the wagon’, claiming that Daniel Cormier should go on to fight Brock Lesnar next.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is adamant he deserves a rematch with Daniel Cormier, but American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez thinks the part-time firefighter should move on and accept another fight.
Mendez argued that, due to nature of their first bout at UFC 226, which ‘DC’ won via first-round KO, Miocic isn’t deserving of an immediate rematch.
“Stipe’s waiting and I don’t know why he’s waiting,” Mendez said in a recent interview with BJPENN Radio. “I think he should fight like everybody else does. When you get starched like he did, most people, they don’t wait for a rematch, they fight somebody else and get back on the wagon. What happened to Cain with dos Santos? Cain didn’t wait for a rematch. He went out there and beat up whoever they asked him to beat up and he got back to the title shot. That’s what you should be doing instead of saying, ‘I’m waiting.’ Unless it was a fight fight, but things happen. People want to see entertaining fights and if you have a wipe-out then people don’t necessarily want to see a rematch.”
The renowned coach went on to state his case for Cormier vs. Brock Lesnar, claiming that Cormier ought to retire on a high note.
“I want it to be Brock and then he should be done, that’s what I want,” Mendez said. “I’ve always wanted that. Every time you guys ask me I want him to fight Brock Lesnar, make the biggest payday that he deserves and then retire like he wants to. All his coaches want that for him, we don’t want him to fight past Brock. Brock is not on the table yet, but hopefully, if we keep pushing for it maybe it’ll happen. I don’t know.”
Cormier vs. Lesnar has been teased for the past year, and UFC president Dana White recently hinted that the bout is all but a done deal.
“The Brock fight is Cormier’s. When Cormier’s healthy, that’s his fight. And plus Brock has WWE obligations right now, or believe me he’d be calling me.”