UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier 3 - Predictions and Picks
For the third year in a row, the UFC’s big summer pay-per-view is set to be headlined by a UFC Heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier.
This weekend’s UFC 252 – which will take place at Las Vegas’ UFC APEX facility – marks the trilogy bout between two legends. And the winner should have a claim to being the best big man in UFC history.
Elsewhere on the card, we’ve got major fights at Heavyweight, Bantamweight, and Light-Heavyweight.
Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier 3.
#1 UFC Heavyweight Title: Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier
This trilogy bout has been a long time coming – essentially, the rivalry between these two men dates back to 2018. That summer saw then-Light-Heavyweight kingpin Cormier challenge Miocic for the Heavyweight title at UFC 226, hoping to become the UFC’s latest double champion.
Miocic came into that fight as the favorite, primarily because he’d defeated the monstrous Francis Ngannou just a few months earlier. On the night though, Cormier’s speed surprised him, and after a brief clinch, ‘DC’ landed a knockout blow and finished the champion off.
The second fight – at 2019’s UFC 241 – was completely different. Miocic had reportedly blamed the loss on the fact that he’d never really recovered from the shots he’d taken from Ngannou. That appeared to ring true in the second fight with Cormier, as he took some huge shots with basically no problem.
By the later rounds, it was actually Cormier who began to slow down – largely because he seemingly couldn’t knock Miocic out and was also taking some hefty shots to the body. Eventually, those body shots paid off, forced ‘DC’ to drop his hands, and allowed Miocic to become just the second man to stop him with strikes.
Neither man has fought since – a combination of injuries and COVID-19 slowing things down – but despite Ngannou’s run over the last 18 months, I don’t mind this trilogy fight. Why? Largely because the second bout between the two was one of the greatest Heavyweight fights in UFC history.
So which way will things go this time? It’s quite hard to say. Both men have shown they’re capable of knocking the other out, and it’s almost certain that Cormier will give Miocic’s striking more respect than he did last year.
Perhaps the biggest question then is whether Cormier decides to switch things up and use his wrestling. His credentials have been spoken about on plenty of occasions, but the key here is that at UFC 241, he won the first round by taking Miocic down and keeping him there, landing some good strikes in the process.
Miocic, on the other hand, was not able to take Cormier down despite attempting numerous takedowns in the same fight. So does this mean the advantage is with the challenger coming into this one? It’s possible.
However, ‘DC’ has never really fully relied on his wrestling despite having such an extensive background. It’s more likely that he’ll attempt to take Miocic out on his feet again, and to be honest, that makes it anyone’s fight.
Personally, I’m going with Miocic. Given Cormier is already 41 and hasn’t fought since last summer, I think there are more questions around how he’ll rebound from his knockout loss. Miocic hasn’t fought since then either, but he should come in with more confidence, he’ll be well-rested, and at 37 he’s closer to his prime than ‘DC’.
Cormier could win this fight with his wrestling, but can he keep Miocic grounded for five rounds? I’m not so sure, and if the fight is decided on the feet, then I’ve got to go with the champion’s cleaner boxing to repeat his feat from UFC 241.
The Pick: Miocic via third-round TKO