And just like that, the plans have changed for Daniel Cormier.

For months, it looked as if his next - and potentially final - fight would be against Brock Lesnar for the UFC heavyweight championship.

RETIREMENT

The rumours of that clash escalated when Lesnar dropped the Universal Championship at the WWE's WrestleMania event last month.

However, UFC president Dana White recently threw another spanner into the works when he revealed that Lesnar had, in fact, retired from MMA and wouldn't be returning to challenge DC in a mega-money fight.

Instead, Cormier will hand Stipe Miocic a rematch following their initial fight which ended in a victory for Cormier as he became a double champion.

It has since been reported that the reason Lesnar isn't making an Octagon comeback is because he demanded a guaranteed flat fee, something the organisation wasn't prepared to pay.

However, Cormier is seemingly taking that with a pinch of salt as he believes Lesnar will still return to the UFC and compete inside of the Octagon.

When speaking to ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Cormier claimed that for the right amount of money and the right opportunity, Lesnar could be tempted to come out of 'retirement' and fight again.

MONEY AND OPPORTUNITY

According to Wrestling News.co, he said: "I think that Brock is a competitor and I do believe that if the right opportunity presents itself for him he would do it,” Cormier said.

“The guy is a fighter. Everybody kind of s**** on Brock Lesnar and talk like this guy can’t fight, but he is a fighter and he is a competitor and he likes money.

“So for the right amount of money and the right opportunity, I am sure Brock Lesnar could be convinced to come back.”

As expected, the reaction to the whole Lesnar saga hasn't been welcomed by MMA fans and fighters.

There was an initial annoyance that Lesnar shouldn't be able to skip the rankings and immediately challenge for the UFC heavyweight championship.

The fact nothing materialised held up the division, and the news of his retirement further irked the fighters who had to wait for absolutely nothing to come to fruition.

However, with Lesnar out of the picture and Miocic finally getting his rematch, it opens up the doors for other fighters to finally enter the title picture.

What do you make of Daniel Cormier's claims that Brock Lesnar will return? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.