[ad_1]
Last night at UFC 241, Stipe Miocic won the UFC heavyweight title by beating Daniel Cormier in the fourth round. It was a triumphant moment for Miocic who had insisted for a year to assert that his first fight with Cormier was a stroke of luck and that he would claim the title if he had any opportunity. . But more than that, it was a triumphant moment for the UFC. If Cormier had won the fight, the general feeling was that he would probably retire, or even a third fight with Jon Jones. But a defeat sets up a trilogy fight between the two best heavyweights in the world. And for the UFC, it's a big deal.
More than any other division, the trilogy fights now define the heavyweight and its many eras. Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski were part of the UFC's boom period. In pride was Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Then it was Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. And finally, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. Each of these series has helped elevate the fighters involved and the sport itself to new heights. Miocic is a big heavyweight that the UFC continues to qualify as the greatest of all time, but despite that, it has never been a huge draw. It's partly because of his personality – there is a limit to what he can become, "but also because Miocic has not had a real rival to face, now he does.
Or at least he could. The discussion around Cormier about his entry into the fight was about retirement and, after being stopped in a winning fight, this conversation will only intensify, all the more so as Cormier has now been eliminated in two of his last five bouts. Even Cormier admitted to him in the post-fight bail, claiming he knew it was not good that he was finished twice now.
"Losing is terrible for me," said Cormier. "I'm a competitive guy so losing any kind of fight is terrible, but being finished, for me, is crazy. So I do not know. I never really thought about them, but twice I was arrested. It's not good and I'm smart enough to understand it. "
He is right about it. At 40, being knocked out is not good. But this interview also reveals why a third fight is going to take place. Cormier is a competitor and there is no chance that he wants to retire on a defeat, especially for such a despicable defeat as this one. The fact is that Cormier won the fight until he lost it. An excellent fit from Miocic ended his evening prematurely but Cormier must think he would win a third fight, recover the title and position himself at the top of the sport.
But if he wants, it's something else. Although Miocic lost the fight early, he is also the one who made the necessary adjustments and his decision to attack the body is a decision that Cormier never demonstrated to be able to defend. In a third fight, you have to imagine that Miocic attacks the middle section early and often, which could change the whole complexion of the fight. After all, the work of Jon Jones' body during his rematch against Cormier is what allowed him to knock out DC.
And that's why a trilogy must take place. Miocic and Cormier are perfect leaves one for the other. Of course, their personalities do not compete in the same way as DC and Jones, but their cage capabilities are much better suited. Both can box and fight and make adjustments, and now we know that both men can hurt each other. A third fight between the two is a legitimate move with an unlimited number of possibilities and the title of Baddest Man on the planet to win.
There is nothing quite like a real rivalry between the best heavyweights in the world and the UFC finally has one.
"Stop fighting like a bitch." – Stipe Miocic explains how he was able to come back and stop Cormier in the fourth round.
"The reason I took three years is because everyone sucked." – Nate Diaz to Joe Rogan about his leave.
"Yes, it's pretty hard to deny. He is a switchman now. "- Dana White on Nate Diaz, returning on one of her most famous lines.
"I'm the best martial artist in the world, I'm not like those" hang on you "wrestlers that will hold you back and hope to win a round and find a way out to win those fights and put the belt on the waist. we fight for the belt "The meanest of mothers in the game" and that's mine … I'd like to defend her against Jorge Masvidal. The wicked mothers, that's how we're going to do that. " – Nate Diaz being Nate Diaz.
"Stipe is without a doubt the biggest weight of all time. I have nothing else to say. Now, can we stop playing games with these book-by-book rankings already? " – Jon Jones, moments after Stipe's return, moving away from the most impressive heights.
Stock Up – Stipe Miocic: Miocic avenged his loss, recovered his belt and resumed the conversation about being the biggest heavyweight of all time. It's a good night.
Stock Down – Daniel Cormier: Cormier has not lost his belt, it's his way of losing it. Cormier dominated the fight but then began to ignore his corner, dropping his hands disdainfully, and stopped fighting. A total credit for Stipe, but it was a disconcerting performance of DC after the first round.
Stock Up – Nate Diaz: He returned from three years of dismissal and did not seem rusty. In fact, it looked better than ever and certainly improved. He then appealed to an elite and a press conference, to the point that even Dana White had to eat raven. He is the biggest winner of the whole event.
Stock low – Yoel Romero: Despite the fact that Romero won the fight, this loss against Costa probably reflects the end of Romero's title hopes. It's not incredible to think that Romero may be immortal, but at 42, you feel compelled to close your window at some point.
Stock Up – Cory Sandhagen: Raphael Assuncao has been one of the top five best nests in the world for five years and has lost only to the absolute top of the division. To beat it resolutely is an announcement that Sandhagen is now among the elite.
Stock low – Devonte Smith: It's not Smith's fault, he was a favorite under 1000, it's the bookies. But being eliminated as a favorite among the favorites of -1000 is extremely bad from the point of view of optics and this happens because it seems like you do not take the fight seriously, it's a good thing. is even worse.
Honestly, last night was pretty tight, all things considered. A few points deserved to be mentioned – Herb Dean allowing Cormier to fight his way with a few punches in the eyes, the scores of Yoel Romero against Paulo Costa being controversial, the record victory of Sabina Mazo on Shana Dobson – but nothing extraordinary to judge or point of arbitration. That being said, Joe Rogan's call suggests a number of things that leave something to be desired.
Joe Rogan has consistently mentioned that Miocic was the biggest heavyweight champion in UFC history during the fighting and the climb, and while this is now accurate (or at least halfway through), Randy Couture still had a heavy weight. victory title than Stipe in last night. Declaring a thing wrong one time is a mistake, but continuing to do so is bad looking and someone in the production booth should have surprised him.
The biggest problem with Rogan's performance last night – and maybe it's also the fault of the production and not his – is that after Kormier was knocked out, Rogan went to interview him. Again. You may remember the second time DC fought Jon Jones, Rogan interviewed Cormier, but went on to say that he did not like interviewing fighters who had just been eliminated. It's the right way to think, and yet he did it anyway. Now, this time, Cormier seemed to be in a much better position than the Jones KO, but still.
In addition, Rogan announced to Cormier that he did not want DC to make his decision now, but essentially asked him if he would retire. None of these problems is huge, but they stood out during a flawless night. Usually, after a large PPV, there is at least a serious mistake on the part of the judges / the comment team / referees. Therefore, if it's the worst, it's a headache for the UFC.
Stipe Miocic against Daniel Cormier III: For all the reasons listed above. If DC does not retire, a three-way match is the only thing that makes sense. If Cormier decides to hang up, Francis Ngannou is the next obvious candidate.
Nate Diaz against Jorge Masvidal: I do not know how the UFC is fighting a fight other than this one, and if they were creative, they would make a "Baddest Motherf * cker" belt and ask those two to fight. Even if they do not, it's one of the few UFC fights that could easily be called a PPV without a belt.
Paulo Costa winner of Robert Whittaker–Israel Adesanya: Romero has been one of the best middleweights in the UFC, if not the best, in the last five years. Costa has beaten him, albeit controversially, and it's more than enough to deserve a title.
Anthony Pettis against. Robbie Lawler: As always, Robbie should fight Anderson Silva, but as this seems unlikely, a showdown with Pettis would be a strong ESPN poster and a fun battle.
Yoel Romero vs Ilir Latifi: It's high time for Romero to go up to 205 and the middleweights do not have a lot of exciting clashes for him. At lightweight, he could quickly prepare to face Jon Jones with some wins and Latifi is a good test.
[ad_2]
Source link