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Stipe Miocic was looking for revenge for heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, and he had exactly that.
That was all but easy in the main event of UFC 241, but thanks to one of the big adjustments in UFC championship history, Miocic brought the belt home by stopping Cormier in the fourth round.
The two big men kicked their legs early because they felt out of reach and in strategy. Cormier got the big initial punches before shooting for a takedown. When Miocic resisted early, Cormier went to get a crotch and easily raised his enemy on his shoulder before hitting him and getting to work inside the Miocic half-guard.
Although Cormier did not score the quick knockout as in his first meeting, he seemed to set the tone for another dominant performance with the withdrawal statement early in the game. And for three rounds, it seemed that almost every shot Miocic had received was answered by one or two stronger shots from Cormier. Fatigue seemed to be as hard a stumbling block for Cormier as Miocic's punches.
When Cormier's body language began to show signs of fatigue, he also brought Miocic to find a new weapon in the first leg of the championship, repeatedly digging a left hook for Cormier's body. Cormier came back with dice rights, but Miocic had painted a mental mind on Cormier's liver. Miocic landed again in the body before staggering Cormier with a flurry of punches to the head. As Cormier turned against the cage, Miocic offered shots to the helpless champion.
While Cormier collapsed against the cage, taking shot after blow, referee Herb Dean jumped to give up the fight. Miocic made a sign at the waist before dancing a jig in the center of the cage. Cormier was sitting against the cage, his eyes glazed, while the new champion was at the party.
After the fight, Miocic mentioned the decision to drop his punches to the body.
"I knew I was hurting him," said Miocic. "Keep working, keep working, leave something open."
"Get out," Miocic said about his thoughts during the end-of-fight burst. "I'm done, I'm tired, I want to go home."
Cormier (22-2) suffered his first official defeat since his decision against Jon Jones in 2015. He has been discussing retirement for quite some time, claiming initially that he wanted to hang up his gloves before he reached the target. 40 years old. in March.
After the loss, he seemed uncertain of his future.
"You do not make decisions based on emotions, but it's a hard pill to swallow," said Cormier. "At 40, you know, with so many other opportunities, I have to talk to my wife and we need to make an informed decision about what we are going to do."
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UFC 241 updates, highlights
UFC card 241 / results
Stipe Miocic (c) def. Daniel Cormier via fourth round TKO (punches)
Nate Diaz def. Anthony Pettis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Paulo Costa def. Yoel Romero by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sodiq Yusuff def. Gabriel Benitez via TKO in the first round (punches)
Derek Brunson def. Ian Heinisch by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Khama Worthy def. Devonte Smith via TKO in the first round (punches)
Cory Sandhagen def. Raphael Assuncao by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Drakkar Klose def. Christos Giagos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Casey Kenney def. Manny Bermudez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Thank you for being past.
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