UFC 226 was arguably the biggest night of Daniel Cormier’s Hall of Fame-winning career. In the main event, light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defeated former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title in the first round to the disbelief of many in attendance. This win made ‘DC’ the third-ever simultaneous two-weight UFC champion, only behind Conor McGregor and Amanda Nunes. If that moment alone wasn’t big enough for the UFC fans in attendance, the situation escalated quite rapidly for all to enjoy as things almost came to blows between then-UFC fighter Brock Lesnar and Daniel Cormier.

Speaking about the incident with Chael Sonnen, the UFC analyst asked ‘DC’ to make his pick between the two moments. Cormier claimed that knocking down Stipe Miocic was a bigger deal for him compared to the war of words with Lesnar. He said, “So both were fun. But knocking Stipe out was the greatest thing ever.”

However, he knew that his moment with Lesnar was better for business as well. ‘DC’ continued, “I had a little bit of an insight into what Brock Lesnar meant as a business. So I was the champion on UFC 200. Brock Lesnar was on that card. So the pay-per-view went from being okay to like… (gestures skyrocket). I was like, Okay, if I could fight this man now with this hype, I was like, this is gonna be massive.”

For those unaware, after Cormier’s victory by knockout in the first round, the two-division champion was interviewed by Joe Rogan. ‘DC’ decided then to take the microphone to address a few words to Brock Lesnar. He said, “There’s a guy that I’ve known for a long time; he’s a wrestler, he’s an All-American, he’s a former UFC champion. I never thought I would fight him, but Brock Lesnar, get your a** in here.”

Brock Lesnar‘s response was not long in coming, as he immediately went up to the Octagon, where he had a harsh exchange of words with the champion. Things got so tense that Lesnar even shoved Daniel Cormier, and they had to be separated by a human barrier. ‘The Beast’ decided to accept the challenge in his own best style after insulting Cormier on the mic. And throughout the process, Stipe Miocic was simply sidelined.

As per reports, the UFC had plans to book a fight between Brock Lesnar and Daniel Cormier in case ‘The Beast’ returned to the octagon. But since then, both Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar have retired from the sport. So why didn’t the dream match ever come to fruition? Did the fighters settle things out of the ring?

Why did Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Cormier remain a pipe dream?

Ever since the run-in between the two at UFC 226, fans were waiting for ‘The Beast’ to return to the Octagon and fight Cormier. However, it never actually happened after Brock Lesnar announced his retirement from the realm of MMA in 2019. Dana White broke the news to ESPN as he said Lesnar informed him that he has retired from the world of mixed martial arts. According to pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, Lesnar asked for a price for the fight against Cormier, but the UFC could not match it.

The high amount was due to the fact that Lesnar was then close to turning 42, so he asked for a figure that would be worth it to train again with intensity and face an athlete like Cormier in the Octagon. On the contrary, WWE offered a safer option for Lesnar, with large deals for limited dates, being able to adjust his schedule as he wants. In addition, pro wrestling was a better option for his level of health without having to make great physical efforts.

Even Cormier agreed to the decision since he said in an interview, “In terms of business, I think Brock made the right decision.” However, fans were truly heartbroken to know that the two would never face inside the Octagon. Hopes went high again in 2022 after Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle faced each other in a fight pit with Daniel Cormier as a special guest referee, with many fans wondering if the WWE would book a fight between ‘DC’ and Lesnar in the promotion; however, that too did not happen. What do you think? Was it a major missed opportunity by the two promotions? Let us know in the comments.