UFC double champion Daniel Cormier broke his finger, adding 'Shogun & # 39; to a short list of potential opponents

Daniel Cormier made a knockout at UFC 226, but he paid a small price.

At an appearance today on MMAjunkie Radio, the two-time UFC champion Cormier said that he needed eight to ten weeks to heal. . Cormier (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) said that he had fractured his right index finger during his historic victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 226, but he would not need corrective surgery.

Cormier stunned the MMA world by eliminating Miocic in the first round to clinch the UFC heavyweight title.

"Maybe I'm trying to hit harder in the heavyweight division because at 205 years old, I've never had a hand," he said. said Cormier, who wore a bandage on his right hand during the post-fight.

Cormier plans to defend the light heavyweight title later this year before defending his heavyweight belt against Brock Lesnar in early 2019 He gave no indication that his hand injury would change those plans.Publishing 205 pounds, he added a name to the potential contenders: Mauricio Rua (25-10 MMA, 9-8 UFC). Alexander Gustafsson (18-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is widely regarded as the next for a title shot when he defeats Volkan Oezdemir (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC 227, Cormier remains reluctant to fight the two-time title challenger.

Then there is a third fight with Jon Jones, who twice defeated Cormier to defend and recover the light heavyweight title of the UFC, only to undress cage. Cormier also does not want to go back,

"I think (Rua) could be on a longer streak of wins as Gustafsson wins his next fight, so why do not he does he deserve it? " "He is a former champion, he would also be in the race. (Alexander) Gustafsson has to do something very spectacular to get this title."

As Cormier explained after his victory, there is has a very practical reason why he no longer wants to confront Gustafsson: money. Gustafsson, he says, offers a grueling fight without the financial reward of a larger draw on pay-per-session

Rua's record is far worse than Gustafsson's in the octagon. But measured by "pay-per-views", "Shogun" is a stronger competitor.

"This guy is a living legend, a champion and one of the greatest fighters of all time," said Cormier. "It's a guy at 205 that I would fight for."

For complete coverage of UFC 226, see the UFC Events section of the site.