Morning Report | Daniel Cormier explains why Brock Lesnar fight fell through

Daniel Cormier has explained why a highly anticipated superfight against Brock Lesnar never materialized despite a dramatic in-cage confrontation that seemed to set it up.

In 2018, Cormier knocked out Stipe Miocic to claim the UFC heavyweight title—a career-defining victory that came free from the shadow of rival Jon Jones. Immediately after the bout, Lesnar entered the octagon and shoved Cormier, igniting speculation about a dream matchup between the two former college wrestlers. However, the fight never happened; Cormier instead defended his title against Derrick Lewis.

In a recent YouTube Q&A, Cormier revealed the reason: money. He recounted how Lesnar had called him before the Miocic fight, predicting a knockout and promising a lucrative clash. Cormier was genuinely interested—they had history as contemporaries on the junior college wrestling circuit, with Lesnar at Minnesota and Cormier at Oklahoma State. But WWE offered Lesnar a package too lucrative to refuse. "It didn't happen because the WWE gave him too much money, and he made the right choice," Cormier said. "You talk about a man that money follows, it's Brock Lesnar."

Despite Cormier's confidence that he would have dominated such a fight, he acknowledged being impressed by Lesnar's physical presence during their brief encounter. When Cormier attempted to push back after Lesnar shoved him, he found the former WWE star immovable. "He was strong," Cormier recalled. "I tried to push him back, because I thought he pushed me soft, but he didn't even move." While the superfight never came to pass, Cormier harbors no regrets about Lesnar's decision to pursue the more lucrative WWE opportunity.