5 times UFC fighters accurately predicted outcomes of fights
UFC fighters and their respective coaching teams usually spend a lot of time studying their opponents. With an abundance of tape available on almost every fighter on the UFC roster, it's not that difficult for fighters to dissect their opponents anymore.
Fighters spend time trying to find out the flaws and susceptibilities in their opponent's game and ways to exploit them during the fight. Sometimes, fighters study their opponents so well that they develop a vision of exactly how a fight is going to pan out. It's as if they can see through a crystal ball and predict the outcome of their fights.
In this article, we look back at times when fighters got their predictions for fights absolutely bang on.
#5. When Daniel Cormier predicted he would KO Stipe Miocic at UFC 226
Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier eerily predicted how he would put Stipe Miocic to sleep just hours before their fight for the heavyweight title at UFC 226. Unbelievably, Cormier's prediction came true, word for word.
In an interview with DC at UFC on FOX just after the fight, Michael Bisping revealed Cormier told him he'd knock Miocic out just hours before the fight:
“You just said to me off-air, ‘I’m going to knock him out’. Your confidence is at an all-time high but you said you’re going to knock him out? You’re not going to outwrestle him, you’re not going to submit him – you’re going to knock him out?”
Cormier then went on to explain why he made the prediction. He said the move to heavyweight had helped pack more power in his strikes and he could very well finish Stipe. Cormier also spoke about trying to take advantage of the holes in Miocic's game.
He said Miocic kept his guard low after moving out of clinch position and that's when he'd try to strike him right on the money. That's exactly what happened during the fight as Cormier became a two-weight world champion:
“Look man. There are some things that he does – especially when you get out of clinch positions where his hands are pretty low and that chin is way up in the air. He’s got a big ol’ face and I’m going to try and crack him upside his head.“I used to hit guys and it would have effect on them. At 205lbs, that seemed to disappear. In sparring I’ve put guys down on five or six occasions this training camp and that’s something I haven’t done in years.“I’ve put guys down with hands. I’ve put guys down with kicks. My strikes are now having the effect that they did when I started to fight.” said Cormier.