UFC 252: Miocic vs Cormier Analysis

This coming weekend will see UFC 252 available on pay per view for fight fans. It is an event that will feature Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier going head to head for the third and final time. No matter what happens here, this will be the final time that these two great fighters meet, as Cormier has already announced that this will be his final battle before retiring. The main card for this one is pretty stacked, but given that Cormier is calling it quits once the final bell sounds, it’s perhaps no real surprise that this bout is garnering all the attention. We will, of course, be covering all the main car action tomorrow, but we thought that it might be fun to look back at the previous two fights between these great rivals so you can start planning ahead your bets against their MMA odds.

UFC 252: Miocic vs Cormier – Recap of Previous Two Fights

Fight 1

The first fight between Cormier and Miocic proved to be a bit of a letdown, as it was basically over before it really got started. The fight was held in Las Vegas in July 2018 and was the headline bout at UFC 226. At the time, Miocic was the defending heavyweight champion, while Cormier was stepping up, coming into the fight as the reigning light heavyweight champion. For Cormier, this bout was all about becoming only the second UFC fighter to hold the title in two different divisions, with Conor McGregor the first to do so.

The opening couple of minutes of the first round were a little tight, with much of the fight taking place against the cage. As the round progressed, though, taking the fight to the middle of the octagon, where they both traded significant. Heading into the final minute, Cormier caught Miocic with a finger in the eye, which paused the fight for a moment. It’s tough to say if that had an impact, because about 30 seconds after the restart, Miocic was down for good after a brutal combination from Cormier.

Fight 2

The rematch took place at UFC 241, which was held at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Cormier came into this fight as the champion after successfully defending the heavyweight title that he took from Miocic with a submission win over Derrick Lewis. In what was perhaps a bit of a surprise, Miocic did not fight again after the first loss to Cormier, taking a year away from the octagon to prepare himself for this one.

Things did not look good for the Miocic in the opening round, as Cormier once again came out strong and dominated in the first. The champ may have become a little too confident given his early dominance in the opening round, as he dropped his guard in Round 2 and was rocked a couple of times by Miocic. Both fighters stood toe to toe in Round 3, but Miocic may have edged it with a solid takedown of the champ late in the round. Both men went at it hard in the 4th, but it was Miocic who finished it with a series of vicious body blows that put an end to the fight.

Come back tomorrow, as we will preview the final fight between Miocic and Cormier, as well as all the other bouts on the main card.

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