1. Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier 3
Yeah, it doesn’t get bigger than this – literally.
I’ve been waiting for this fight since the moment Miocic stopped Cormier on Aug. 17, 2019. Miocic’s knockout set the score at one apiece and stamped the ticket for an inevitable trilogy fight.
There’s just a certain magic that world-class heavyweights can create that other smaller world-class athletes can’t. I’m not sure what it is, to be honest. But when you see a heavyweight with the UFC world title wrapped around his waist, you know that’s the baddest man on the planet.
I think when this is all over we’re going to look at this trilogy as a historic series in MMA. It’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, a former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, taking on the current heavyweight champion, who also happens to be the most successful heavyweight in UFC history.
Whatever happens on Aug. 15 will define the heavyweight division and the legacy of both men. This fight is huge. On paper, it has everything you want from a pending trilogy contest. From a fighting and sporting stand point, it’s just as awesome.
In their first fight, Cormier did the unthinkable and knocked out Miocic in the first round. Tons of drama and politics later, we got the rematch.
Cormier never looked better in the rematch. It was truly one of his best career performances. Oddly enough, it was also one of his toughest defeats. Cormier fell short to the incredible durability but also the brilliance of Miocic. The punishment Miocic had to endure to get to round four was out of this world – and so were the game plan adjustments he made in real time.
Unlike the previous fights I discussed, this fight has to happen. There are no alternatives or variations this one could’ve gone. Miocic vs. Cormier 3 was not created by circumstance. It was born from the highest levels of competition.
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