One year, one month and 10 days after their first meeting, Cormier and Miocic will meet for a second time with the heavyweight title once again hanging in the balance. Only this time, they enter in opposite roles.
Cormier claimed the title last summer with a stunning first-round knockout win, connecting on a short right hand out of the clinch that landed sharp and flush and made him the second fighter to ever hold UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously. “DC” returned four months later to successfully defend the title against Derrick Lewis at UFC 230, submitting the hard-hitting challenger two minutes and change into the second round to push his record as a heavyweight to 15-0 and his overall record to 22-1 with one no contest.
As soon as he got backstage at UFC 226, Miocic began campaigning for a rematch and he never moved off that position. Rather than jump back into the cage, the longest reigning heavyweight champion in UFC history spent the last year being a family man, as he and his wife welcomed their first child, a daughter, just a couple weeks after the International Fight Week headliner. He also remained laser-focused on securing a second fight with Cormier and doing everything in his power to ensure the results are different this time around.
That’s the big question heading into this one: can Miocic find a way to do what no one else has been able to do as of yet — beat Cormier at heavyweight?
Miocic found some success early in their first encounter, but was unable to land anything that really rattled his foe, as Cormier did a good job of rolling with the punches and parrying shots away. He also seemed to struggle with Cormier’s deceptive speed, getting caught with short, sharp combinations when the two exchanged in space.
For Cormier, he’s said the rematch will be a replica of their initial meeting — an affirmation of his standing as the top heavyweight in the UFC and another dominant effort to add to his already sterling resume.
Will Saturday’s main event set up a trilogy fight between the two combatants or will Cormier retain his title and remain unbeaten in the heavyweight ranks?
