UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic readies himself to settle the score against divisional rival Daniel Cormier. The two are slated to scrap on August 15 at UFC 252 in a match of epic proportions.
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They harbor some animosity against one another as they have been in each other’s crosshairs repeatedly over the course of three years.
Not to mention, the heavyweight title defense record holder is expected to be on the back foot against his rival. The two will fight in a 25-foot cage as compared to the standardized 30-foot cage, hence falling in the Olympian wrestler’s favor.
Chiefly, Miocic believes that his preparation has been thorough enough to withstand any adversity that falls his way.
Stipe Miocic: What’s next?
As a 3-year long competitive rivalry draws to a close, the Ohio native will be looking forward to a new phase of his career. Some MMA fans and pundits speculate that he may hang his gloves up alongside DC following a win.
The aforementioned case may go down as one of the most iconic scenes in the promotion’s storied history.
Moreover, he holds wins over the ‘old guard’ in modern MMA, thus leading fans to believe that he will stick around to forge a new path. On paper, he will all but certainly face-off against Francis Ngannou with a win over AKA’s team captain.
‘The Predator’ has had his sights set on undisputed gold as well as avenging his loss to Miocic. Given his last 4 fights going an average of 40 seconds, he cannot be denied the same.
A match-up that would immediately set the MMA world on fire is a fight against the Light heavyweight champion. Jon Jones has long been seen as the GOAT in MMA and will make an interesting narrative against the orthodox fighter.
Moreover, fans of the sport have been calling for Jones to test himself at the Heavyweight level for years.
The landscape of the heavyweight division is as exciting as ever as with contenders making breakthroughs left and right.
Additionally, long-standing veterans of the division such as Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos will be looking to get one over on the champion.
Fans of the sport can expect fiery match-ups in the pipeline if Miocic decides to stick around.
SOURCE- ESPN