“I Thought We Were Fighting”- Stipe Miocic Hits Out At Daniel Cormier’s Strategy Of Focusing On Wrestling

Published 07/30/2020, 8:05 AM EDT

UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic spoke to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto and shared his views on his upcoming trilogy contest. August 15 will see the definitive end to a rivalry that will determine the greatest heavyweight of all time. Not to mention, he prepares to face off against Daniel Cormier who was only the second man to finish him.

The firefighter from Cleveland, Ohio had an interesting take on comments made by his opponent regarding their scheduled bout. The two elite fighters will face off in a 25-foot cage, which is smaller than the standardized 30-foot cage. The general consensus surrounding a smaller cage comes with the belief that the Olympian’s wrestling will play a significant role.

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Stipe Miocic chimes in

The Heavyweight championship defense record holder aired his views on the matter and seemed unbothered by varied changes via BJ Penn.com. He expressed a belief that his [gym’s] cage being 25-feet in size has sufficiently prepared him for the match-up. Additionally, he acknowledged that a smaller sized cage plays into his opponent’s strengths.

“A bigger cage is better of course. It is what it is. I’m not going to cry about it. I definitely tried to get a bigger cage, but it wasn’t in the cards. What are you gonna do? I’m not worried. My [gym’s] cage is the same size, and I’ve been working on everything.”

Daniel Cormier has spoken out his show ‘DC and Helwani’ on numerous occasions and expressed a desire to wrestle. His prowess in the close range has helped him rise up to the upper-echelon of two different weight classes. However, Miocic seemed unbothered by Cormier’s perceived close-range tactics.

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“There are a lot more angles and stuff, and getting pushed against the cage, you don’t have that extra five feet. We’ve definitely been training wrestling more. He said to bring my wrestling shoes. He’ll definitely try to wrestle me, but every fight starts standing, don’t forget that. We’ll see. Take me down then. We’re wrestling? I thought we were fighting.”

The fight is a high stakes affair that will finally cement the legacy of one of the two elite combatants. Not to mention, with the conclusion of the main event at UFC 252, the division will finally receive some clarity moving forward. A large number of hungry contenders have begun lining up for their shot at gold.

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Source: BJ Penn.com

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Darryl Pinto is a senior MMA writer at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his graduate degree in Mass Media (with a specialization in Journalism) out of Xavier’s College and has a year's experience in his current role. Darryl specializes in predictions, reporting, and covering UFC events live.

“I Thought We Were Fighting”- Stipe Miocic Hits Out At Daniel Cormier’s Strategy Of Focusing On Wrestling

Stipe Miocic chimes in

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