After UFC 226 last July, talks about a possible heavyweight title fight between champion Daniel Cormier and former title holder Brock Lesnar first came to surface. During the months that followed, however, these conversations seemed to have died down.
With the victory over Stipe Miocic and becoming recognized as the second double-champ in the UFC, Cormier planned out his next move that involved two more fights against Lesnar and Jon Jones, before riding off into the sunset by his 40th birthday in March. Instead, his first title defense as the heavyweight champion took place sooner than expected, at UFC 230 against Derrick Lewis.