Typically, if a fighter is already discussing his retirement, an injury to his back might force that date to be moved up. That, though, is not the case for UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. Cormier appeared on The MMA Hour Monday and stated that a back injury suffered at UFC 230 will keep him from competing before he turned 40. The former Olympian and UFC light heavyweight champion had planned to retire before he hit that magical number, which comes this March. “I (expletive) my back up. It hasn’t recovered as I hoped it would,” Cormier said. “I’m just trying to heal up. Once (that happens), I can start looking forward to what’s next. Now, it’s just handling these injuries, getting better.” Cormier improved to 22-1 this past November with a second round submission victory over Derrick Lewis to defend his heavyweight title. He was stripped of the light heavyweight belt shortly after, as Jon Jones claimed that championship once again with a victory over Alexander Gustafsson in December. “DC” also topped Stipe Miocic and Volkan Oezdemir last year, marking the first time since 2015 that he competed three times within a calendar year. “I have to take time off,” he said. “My schedule was so heavy last year. Three fights, three five-round training camps, heavy training camps and I did The Ultimate Fighter. “I did my commentary duties, took that high school wrestling job; it’s just been a heavy, heavy year.” Cormier also responded to comments made by UFC president Dana White in which White hopes to see him compete at least three more times before retiring. “That’s him being hopeful,” Cormier said. “He’s such a powerful guy that he can say things to the point you believe them. We’ll see what happens. I don’t anticipate it, but let him be happy for a while.”<doc-sep>Daniel Cormier is going to have to change his retirement plans. (Getty Images) It appears Daniel Cormier’s master plan of riding off into the sunset on his 40th birthday after one last lucrative fight has a hit a few snags. The UFC heavyweight champion said he doesn’t have his next fight scheduled due to a litany of injuries during an appearance on “The MMA Hour” podcast on Monday. Cormier reported his back as the main issue, after the wear and tear of three championship fights in 2018. Daniel Cormier’s multiple injuries From MMA Fighting: “I hurt my back in New York City when I sneezed. This was no joke and it’s just still trying to rehab it and get better,” Cormier said. “It was just me hurting my back. I put a lot of miles on myself in my life with the wrestling, but then last year was a big year and you don’t get to have that type of year at my age and not really feel the effects of it and I’m still going through that right now.” Cormier had also reportedly been dealing with a thumb injury that has since healed and a wrist injury that may never really heal. “The thumb’s fine,” Cormier said. “I think a lot of times you get hurt in so many ways, but then when one thing overtakes the other one, you almost forget about it and then you start to focus on the back and getting the back better, and then the hand. “My doctor said I’ve got arthritis in my wrist, that’s why my wrist bothers me all the time, so there’s nothing I’m really gonna be able to do about that. That’s just something I have to deal with, but the back has been the focus lately.” Cormier indicated he was not 100 percent when he easily dispatched Derrick Lewis, a condition he plans to fight in again going forward. Daniel Cormier’s retirement plan not working out All of this is obviously disheartening to hear from one of the UFC’s great fighters. Cormier had seemed set to fight Brock Lesnar in early 2019 before his planned retirement when he turns 40 on March 20, a matchup that would have been both very lucrative and almost certainly as safe a win as Cormier could get as a champ. Story continues Now, that does not appear to be happening. Cormier said UFC officials asked him if he would want to fight against an unspecified opponent at UFC 235 on March 2, the last major UFC event before his birthday, and he said no. Lesnar is still suspended for failing a drug test and will remain suspended until he pays a $250,000 fine. If Lesnar doesn’t work out for whatever reason, the list of intriguing opponents for Cormier is pretty short due to Cormier’s dominance over the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions over the last half-decade. No. 1 on the list would be Cormier’s nemesis and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, the only man to beat Cormier in the Octagon. However, Jones, fresh off his return to the UFC, might not have much interest in a trilogy against a fighter he has already defeated twice (the second win was vacated due to a doping violation). The other worthy opponent would be Stipe Miocic, who Cormier defeated for the heavyweight belt and seems very interested in getting a rematch. Cormier said he’s game for another fight against Miocic, but Lesnar remains his likely next opponent: “We’re not waiting for Brock Lesnar. Because of my injuries, I’m just not available to fight. If I was available to fight, I probably would have fought Stipe already. But I’m just not available to fight right now so we’ll see what happens with Lesnar and then we’ll address what’s after that.” Of course, all that depends on Cormier being healthy again, and that might not be a guarantee for a 39-year-old eyeing retirement and already dealing with wrist arthritis. More from Yahoo Sports: • Costas confirms reason he got pulled from Super Bowl • Former NFL first-rounder’s mixed debut with AAF • New football league wins the night, tops NBA in ratings • Bushnell: The ‘miracle’ reincarnation of the Bucks<doc-sep>Daniel Cormier is no longer retiring in March, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the former double champion is setting up for a tilt with Brock Lesnar. Cormier originally announced he’d like to retire by his 40th birthday at the end of March. But due to a variety of injuries, he announced on The MMA Hour that he’ll push back stepping away from the Octagon for good until he can fight again when he’s 100 percent. The current heavyweight champion pointed to fighting Derrick Lewis in December at Madison Square Garden as the reason for his recent back injury, where he fought on short notice and prepared for the bout in just four weeks. “I used to do 12 weeks. I did all that in four and that’s why my body started falling apart on me,” Cormier said. “Twelve weeks and I’m not at 100 percent, so say, I don’t know, spring? Summer? I don’t know. Not exactly sure yet.” As for who’s next on Cormier’s list, he mentioned Lesnar or Stipe Miocic as possible targets for what could be his last UFC fight. Cormier made one point clear though — he’s not going to wait around for anyone. “We’re not waiting for Brock Lesnar,” Cormier said. “Because of my injuries, I’m just not available to fight. If I was available to fight, I probably would have fought Stipe already. But I’m just not available to fight right now so we’ll see what happens with Lesnar and then we’ll address what’s after that.” Cormier has won seven of his last eight fights, including a submission victory over Lewis in December and a knockout win against Miocic in July. The only fight he didn’t win was originally a loss to Jon Jones, but later ruled a no contest thanks to a USADA violation. Lesnar re-entered the USADA drug testing pool back in July, meaning Lesnar could conceivably be eligible to return to the UFC any day now. Lesnar is rumored to be in contract negotiations with WWE, All Elite Wrestling and the UFC.<doc-sep>UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier had planned on retiring by the time of his 40th birthday in March but has decided to extend his time as a professional athlete in the hopes of securing a lucrative bout with Brock Lesnar. Up until now, Cormier's career had a very definitive expiry date attached to it, but as he told Luke Thomas on a recent edition of The MMA Hour, niggling injuries along with the prospect of a money-spinning bout against former UFC champ Lesnar have persuaded him to put any plans to walk away from MMA on hold. Cormier fought in three world title bouts across two separate weight divisions in 2018, winning them all. The last one, a successful heavyweight title defense against Derrick Lewis in Madison Square Garden in November, was a learning experience for the former Olympian who was suffering from a thumb injury and says he rushed his preparations in advance of it - a mistake he doesn't intend on repeating. Official: Daniel Cormier is not retiring by his 40th birthday. #theMMAhour — Luke Thomas (@lthomasnews) February 11, 2019 "The thumb’s fine," Cormier said of his injury. "I think a lot of times you get hurt in so many ways, but then when one thing overtakes the other one, you almost forget about it and then you start to focus on the back and getting the back better, and then the hand. "I just don’t know if I’m gonna do what I did in New York again, where I have to fight where I’m not 110 percent." One of just a handful of fighters to have held UFC titles in two separate weight classes, Cormier said that his rushed preparation time in advance of UFC 230 in November caused him to overexert himself in training. One back injury later, he says it taught him to not accept fights unless he is physically ready. "I truly do feel like the reason my back went out was because I went from zero to trying to prepare for a fight in three weeks and I can’t really do that. I need those first four weeks of a pre-training camp just to prepare my body to go through a full eight-week camp. Also on rt.com Future Khabib? UFC champ's father posts clip of Dagestani youngster wrestling with a bear (VIDEO) "I used to do 12 weeks, I did all that in four and that’s why my body started falling apart on me. 12 weeks and I’m not at 100 percent, so say, I don’t know, spring? Summer? I don’t know. Not exactly sure yet." And with someone the size of Brock Lesnar, or even former champion Stipe Miocic, potentially waiting for him in his next fight, Cormier says his next opponent will be largely dictated by the lay of the land once everyone concerned is fit and healthy. "I think maybe Lesnar next would be the fight. And again as I’ve always said, yeah I’ll fight Stipe again. It’s just the same exact thing. "We’re not waiting for Brock Lesnar. Because of my injuries, I’m just not available to fight. If I was available to fight, I probably would have fought Stipe already. But I’m just not available to fight right now so we’ll see what happens with Lesnar and then we’ll address what’s after that."<doc-sep>
UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has long stated he wanted to retire by March 20 of this year, his 40th birthday. Not anymore. Due to multiple injuries -- a back problem that occurred while sneezing, a nagging thumb injury and arthritis in his wrist -- that retirement date will now be in the spring or summer. Cormier said he needs more time to recover in order to prepare for what could be his final fight. "I just don't know if I'm going to do what I did in New York again, where I have to fight where I'm not 110 percent," Cormier said Monday on The MMA Hour. "Because I truly do feel like the reason my back went out was because I went from zero to trying to prepare for a fight in three weeks and I can't really do that. I need those first four weeks of a pre-training camp just to prepare my body to go through a full eight-week camp. "I used to do 12 weeks. I did all that in four and that's why my body started falling apart on me. Twelve weeks and I'm not at 100 percent, so say, I don't know, spring? Summer? I don't know. Not exactly sure yet." Cormier, ESPN's 2018 Fighter of the Year, won three times in the past 12 months. He retained his UFC light heavyweight belt by defeating Volkan Oezdemir by second-round TKO. Cormier later followed that up with a first-round KO of Stipe Miocic to claim the heavyweight title and defended it in November with a second-round submission against Derrick Lewis. Cormier vacated the UFC's light heavyweight belt in December after moving up weight classes. His next opponent is still up in the air. It could be a third bout with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, a rematch with Miocic or against former heavyweight champion and current WWE superstar Brock Lesnar. "We're not waiting for Brock Lesnar," Cormier said. "Because of my injuries, I'm just not available to fight. If I was available to fight, I probably would have fought Stipe already. But I'm just not available to fight right now so we'll see what happens with Lesnar and then we'll address what's after that."