Will Daniel Cormier be the heavyweight GOAT if he beats Stipe Miocic in the trilogy
Daniel Cormier is one of the most accomplished fighters in the history of UFC. After dominating the heavyweights in Strike Force, Daniel Cormier made his UFC debut against the former heavyweight champion, Frank Mir. He dominated Mir to get his first UFC victory and began his journey to the top of the mountain.
Cormier became the UFC light heavyweight champion and he also won the heavyweight champion. But the illustrious career of DC will come to an end when he takes on the current heavyweight king, Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 252. This long-awaited trilogy means a lot for the legacies of both Stipe and Cormier.
Stipe Miocic is the most accomplished heavyweight in UFC. He has beaten some of the biggest names in heavyweight history such as Fabricio Werdum, Junior Dos Santos, Francis Ngannou, Alistair Overeem, and Daniel Cormier. A win over Daniel Cormier will certainly cement Stipe's legacy as the greatest heavyweight in UFC if not the greatest heavyweight in MMA. However, can we say the same for Daniel Cormier if he beats Stipe Miocic in the trilogy?
Daniel Cormier has done some incredible things in MMA. Cormier has big wins in the heavyweight division such as wins over Stipe Miocic, Antonio Silva, Frank Mir, and Josh Barnett. However, Cormier spent the majority of his prime career in the light heavyweight division.
Daniel Cormier was at his prime when he fought the elite light heavyweights of the world such as Jon Jones, Alexander Gustafsson, and Anthony Johnson. Apart from Jon Jones who is considered the greatest fighter of all time, Daniel Cormier was able to beat all the big names in the UFC light heavyweight division. However, DC's achievements in the light heavyweight division do not help the argument of him being the greatest heavyweight of all time.
Is Daniel Cormier better than Fabricio Werdum or Stipe Miocic?
The body of work in the heavyweight division for Daniel Cormier is not as impressive as that of Fabricio Werdum or Stipe Miocic. Though Daniel Cormier is highly talented he is not the most talented heavyweights this sport has ever seen. Many would strongly believe that Cain Velasquez and Fedor Emelianenko are more talented than Daniel Cormier when it comes to skillsets.
Though Daniel Cormier has won the UFC heavyweight strap, he has only defended it against Derrick Lewis. At the moment, Daniel Cormier is one of the greatest heavyweights in UFC. But, calling him the greatest of all time would be a far fetched statement.
However, if he gets the win over Stipe Miocic in the trilogy then it would make the whole argument more complex. Though debatable Stipe Miocic can be considered the greatest heavyweight of all time. And if Daniel Cormier dominates Stipe Miocic and ends his career with a big win then the argument of him being the GOAT in UFC heavyweight history will become a lot stronger.