Daniel Cormier didn't leave the Octagon with a belt. He didn't even leave with his vision fully intact.
The story of the Daniel Cormier last fight is usually summed up as a legendary "double champ" finally meeting his match in Father Time, but looking back at the tape of August 15, 2020, tells a much more complicated story. It was UFC 252. The world was still wrestling with the strangeness of the pandemic, and the fight took place inside the smaller, 25-foot cage at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. No roaring crowd. Just the sound of heavy leather hitting bone and the heavy breathing of two giants.
Stipe Miocic was across from him for the third time.
Honestly, most fans remember the eye poke more than the actual wrestling. That's a shame. This wasn't just a loss; it was a five-round war of attrition that solidified Miocic as the greatest heavyweight ever while proving "DC" was still elite at 41. He wasn't some washed-up legend looking for a paycheck. He was rounds away from being the baddest man on the planet, again.
The Night Everything Changed at UFC 252
Going into this rubber match, the stakes were basically "greatest of all time" status. They were 1-1. Cormier had KO’d Stipe in the first fight; Stipe had adjusted and broken Cormier down with body shots in the second.
The third fight was supposed to be the tiebreaker for history.
In the first round, Cormier looked sharp. He landed a massive overhand right that wobbled Miocic late in the frame. If you watch the replay, you can see Stipe’s legs give out for a split second. But the second round changed the momentum entirely. Stipe dropped Cormier with a pair of brutal right hooks against the fence. Cormier survived, saved by the bell, but he looked shaky walking back to his corner.
Then came the third round.
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It's the moment everyone talks about when they search for the Daniel Cormier last fight. Miocic accidentally (or incidentally, depending on who you ask) poked Cormier in his left eye. It wasn't just a graze. Cormier told referee Marc Goddard immediately that he couldn't see. Goddard, thinking it was a punch, told him to keep fighting.
"I can't see anything out of my left eye. It's black." — Daniel Cormier to his corner after Round 3.
He fought the final ten minutes essentially one-eyed.
Breaking Down the Scorecards
People like to argue about who won what, but the judges were actually pretty consistent. Derek Cleary and Sal D'Amato both saw it 49-46 for Miocic, while Junichiro Kamijo had it a bit closer at 48-47.
Basically, the consensus is that Cormier won the fourth round by showing incredible heart and landing some big shots despite the injury. But Stipe's clinch work was just too much. He used his size advantage to pin Cormier against the fence, draining the gas tank of the former Olympian. Stipe out-landed Cormier in terms of total significant strikes, finishing with 115 compared to Cormier's 105. It was that close.
The smaller cage definitely played a factor too. In a 30-foot Octagon, Cormier might have had more room to reset and use his lateral movement. In the 25-footer? There was nowhere to hide from Stipe’s reach.
Why he didn't use his wrestling
This is the biggest "what if" of the night. Everyone expected Cormier to go back to his roots. He’s one of the greatest wrestlers to ever enter the sport, yet he barely looked for the takedown.
Maybe it was the back surgery he’d had previously. Maybe he just got caught up in the pride of the striking battle. Whatever the reason, the lack of a ground game is probably why he walked away without the gold. He tried to beat a master boxer at boxing.
Life After the Octagon: The Injury and Retirement
The damage was real. After the fight, it was confirmed that Cormier suffered a torn cornea. He spent weeks in a dark room, and for a while, there was legitimate concern he might need surgery or face permanent vision loss. Luckily, he recovered without going under the knife, but it was a scary reminder of why he decided to hang it up.
He didn't leave his gloves in the cage. A lot of people were confused by that.
Cormier later explained that he didn't want to "steal Stipe's moment." That’s just who DC is. He knew it was over, but he wanted the champion to have the spotlight. He officially announced his retirement on his ESPN show with Ariel Helwani a couple of weeks later, on August 31, 2020.
He finished with a professional record of 22-3 (1 NC). His only losses? Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. That is an insane resume.
The Legacy of the Final Performance
Looking back, the Daniel Cormier last fight wasn't a tragedy. It was a masterclass in grit.
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Most fighters at 41 are getting knocked out by prospects on the preliminary card. Cormier was in a championship main event, winning rounds against the best heavyweight on the planet. He proved that even at the very end, his "worst" day was still better than 99% of the fighters in the world.
He transitioned immediately into one of the best commentators in the game. You've probably heard him on almost every major PPV since. He's got that "dad energy" now, but don't let the polo shirts fool you—the dude was a certified killer in that cage.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the technical side of his career or want to see how his wrestling translated to MMA, you should check out the film studies of his earlier wins over Josh Barnett or Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. Those fights show the "DC" that truly revolutionized the heavyweight division.
To truly understand his impact, you have to look past the result of that final night. Watch the way he handled the loss. He didn't make excuses about the eye poke, even though it clearly changed the fight. He just gave Stipe his credit and walked into the sunset.
Actionable Insight for Fans:
If you want to appreciate the technical evolution of the heavyweight division, go back and watch the entire Miocic-Cormier trilogy in order. Notice how the clinch work and body-targeting changed from fight one to fight three. It’s a perfect case study in how elite athletes make adjustments over a multi-year rivalry.