Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier have one of the greatest rivalries in MMA. It’s a strange contender in that category. There is little bad blood between the two, nor does there seem to be overt respect.
The rivalry started when the two faced off at UFC 226. Miocic was the favourite going in to the fight, but it would be Cormier who would walk away the winner after knocking out the then champion. History was made that night as Cormier became just the second two division champion in UFC history.
What followed was a surprise to everyone. Cormier called out Brock Lesnar who was in attendance at the event. Lesnar entered the cage and shoved Cormier while trashing the entire heavyweight division. Some fans thought the entire segment was disrespectful towards Miocic.
It took a while, but once it became clear that Lesnar wasn’t going to fight Cormier, the rematch between the two was announced. It happened at UFC 241… and boy did it deliver.
Cormier dominated the early part, at one point, the former olympian held Miocic up in the air on his shoulders. But Miocic mounted a comeback and landed body shots that crumbled Cormier. After picking up the win, Miocic celebrated with a jig. That was unusual for Miocic who is fairly terse. It also solidified his claim of being the greatest heavyweight ever. Cormier for his part looked more shocked than anything.
Stipe Miocic v Daniel Cormier 3
In the build-up to their fight at UFC 241, Cormier had shown some mixed signals. Miocic was put off by it.
Now the stage is beautifully set for a rubber match. Cormier wants it. He made comments on Miocic’s willingness to fight. While doing so, Cormier appealed to Miocic’s honourable side. He alluded to the nobility of Miocic’s firefighting career.
Cormier also accused Stipe of ducking him. Cormier seems to understand the promotion side of things better than his counterpart and this explains the Lesnar callout. It explains the friendly fire in the media. Miocic, on the other hand, wants none of it.
The heavyweight champ took to Twitter recently. He made it clear that he was not ducking Cormier. Miocic clarified:
I want to fight DC. It’s going to happen period. Im going to give my fans what they want to see. My management has been working on dates with UFC. Right now I’m doing what the Governor DeWine is advising and am working as a first responder. I can’t control a global pandemic. My head coach can’t open his gym by law right now. I don’t hold myself higher than any other person in regards to what I’m allowed to do. Ohio is under orders until May 29th. The second the gym can open, we begin camp. Plain and simple. I have never ducked anyone. I’ve never turned down a fight, and I never will. Strap #6 coming soon.
While Miocic has not pushed this rivalry, he has been consistent. It looks like we will be getting a fight later this year. If it is anything like the last one, you bet it’ll be great.
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