Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier are back in the lat part of their trilogy, which would decide who is the better fighter, and who takes home the belt for the best heavyweight in the UFC. Expect a memorable spectacle, which will enter all the history books of this sport. Cormier although a challenger here, is a slight favorite, which might be a surprise for many.
Preview
Miocic 19-3 (-105)
Stipe regained his title after knocking out DC at the UFC 241, avenging his defeat from the UFC 226. Before that, he defended the title on three occasions, against Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, and Francis Ngannou, making himself the first guy to do that in the heavyweight division. The latest win against Cormier was because of fantastic tactics, which wore out DC, who seemed better in the first few rounds, but ran out of gas as the fight approached its end.
Cormier 22-2-1 (-115)
DC is favored by many to win this match, and to end Miocic’s reign before going to the retirement. Cormier stated that UFC 252 would be his last match, and no doubt, he has enormous motivation to close his fantastic career with a victory. He is the only guy ever to hold the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight title simultaneously. The only two losses in his career came against Jon Jones, which was vis decision and vs. Miocic. The other defeat against Jones was overturned, because Bones tested positive for steroids following the fight. After a win against Stipe, he submitted Derrick Lewis, before losing at the UFC 241.
Prediction
It’s been almost a year since these two guys entered the octagon, and their current physical status is very enigmatic. Everything here will come down to stamina, and who has better cardio. We saw Stipe profiting from extending the match, as DC gradually slowed down after a strong beginning in which he created an edge over his rival.
It could be said Cormier has a more versatile style of fight, but still, from this point of view, Stipe is closer to a win. He apparently found a way how to hurt DC, and there is no doubt that he found even more weaknesses after the second bout.
If you find this proposition too risky, go with a knockout as a method of the win. There won’t be a decision here, because both these guys know one another pretty well. Odds on that are -195.