Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic believes he was too small for his Francis Ngannou rematch, which cost him the 265-pound title in their pay-per-view (PPV) headliner last March in Las Vegas.
Where Miocic weighed nearly 30 pounds less than “The Predator.”
And while former heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier — who knows a thing (or three) about Miocic — believes the extra pounds will benefit his former rival, it still may not be enough to keep Ngannou from landing the knockout blow.
“I thought he was way too small going in there the last time,” Cormier told Ariel Helwani. “I even asked him about it in the fighter meeting. I’m like, ‘Man, do you think maybe you should get a little bigger?’ He’s like, ‘I only lost weight because I’m training so hard. It wasn’t to be faster,’ this, that and the other. I think it is a great idea by Miocic. Does it change anything in a rematch? I am not certain. … Great idea by Miocic, you gotta change something if you want a different result. I am just not certain if it is enough because of Ngannou’s ability to knock him out.”
Miocic, 38, has plenty of time to pack on the pounds. Ngannou is expected to make his first title defense against heavyweight power-puncher Derrick Lewis at some point this summer, depending on how negotiations go for his Jon Jones super fight.
Matchmakers should also consider the winner of this fight.
Cormier retired after losing to Miocic in late 2020 and his absence, coupled with the fall of Miocic, has opened up the stagnant heavyweight division, which featured “DC” and Miocic fighting three times over the course of two years.