The best and worst of UFC 226
Nobody is about to argue the case for UFC 226 being the best UFC show of all time – or of 2018, in fact – but only a fool would deny it was highly memorable.
We got a Heavyweight title change – and afterwards, one of the most remarkable confrontations in UFC history – and beyond that the show featured some cool fights, interesting finishes, and a couple of stinkers, too.
Here are the best and worst parts of UFC 226.
#1 Best: DC stakes his claim as the greatest of all time
Prior to Saturday’s show, Daniel Cormier was already recognised as an all-time great, albeit with a Jon Jones-shaped asterisk alongside his name.
The former champion had been the only man to ever defeat ‘DC’, who outside of those fights remained unbeaten at both Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight.
But the general consensus was that – partially due to Jones’ positive drug tests – if Cormier could beat Stipe Miocic to win the UFC Heavyweight title to go alongside his Light-Heavyweight crown, then his credentials as the greatest fighter to ever perform above 205lbs would be pretty convincing.
And beat him he did. It was a hard-hitting fight with both men looking hurt at points, and the idea that Olympic wrestler Cormier would have a grappling advantage over Miocic was largely proven false.
In the end though, it took one thudding right hand – from extremely close quarters – for Cormier to drop Miocic, and some punches on the ground then brought his title reign to an end.
Cormier will now apparently fight Brock Lesnar in his first title defence and the current rumour is that he’ll be retiring after that.
If that is the case, then I don’t see how he doesn’t go down as the best “big man” in the history of MMA. Jokes aside he’s simply dominated everyone he’s ever faced. And as one of the sport’s perceived “good guys”, this result was by far the best moment of UFC 226.