Stipe Miocic : And Still Heavyweight King

Last night (August 15, 2020), the greatest trilogy in the history of mixed martial arts took place between UFC Heavyweight Champion, Stipe Miocic, 20W 3L, and former UFC Two-Division Champion, Daniel Cormier, 22W 3L 1NC, at UFC 252, in Las Vegas Nevada. This ends the rubber match between two of the best to ever do it, as Miocic was victorious in their previous fight, and Cormier was the winner of the first. The first two fights gave us finishes in devastating fashion for each opponent, while the final chapter gave us 5 full rounds of intense action. Miocic appeared noticeably leaner and much faster, which were added attributes to his game plan.

The first round was pretty even until right before the horn, Cormier landed a hard punch behind Miocic’s ear, which appeared to be the most significant strike of the round. 2nd round was just as competitive as the 1st, however Miocic was landing more significant strikes, and controlling the action inside the clinch. Cormier has a deadly right hand, in which he was able to land on Miocic a few times throughout the entire fight. Miocic ended the round with a flurry of punches, dropping Cormier just before the horn, almost finishing him while on mount position. In the 3rd round, Miocic implemented his clinch game like never before, which might’ve taken Cormier by surprise, as he would end up controlling the majority of the round. 4th round was a tossup, as both men came out swinging, holding great composure, while landing hard shots. Cormier was relentless with his right hand, as Miocic would continue to grab on to it, and hold it while in the clinch, neutralizing Cormier’s attack. It amazes me how some MMA journalist had this fight scored 2-2 going into the 5th. Miocic was clearly winning the majority of the fight, with his clinch control and significant strikes. Final round was similar to the first 4, with Miocic controlling the clinch, neutralizing Cormier’s right hand, and landing more shots. Fight would end with both men wearing the damage on their faces, and Miocic pulling off a unanimous decision victory on all 3 judges scorecards.

Not a bad way to end the trilogy, given both men appear to be at the final run of their careers. This gives Miocic another championship title defense, making him the only heavyweight in UFC history to defend the UFC Heavyweight Championship 4 times. There is no doubt now, on who is the baddest man on the planet, as Stipe Miocic will go down as the greatest UFC Heavyweight Champion in the history of the organization.