Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone, as the UFC 241: “Cormier vs. Miocic 2” pay-per-view (PPV) event went down from inside Honda Center last Sat. night (Aug. 17, 2019) in Anaheim, California.
Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Yoel Romero, who came up short against Paulo Costa after three hard-fought rounds (see it again here). And Anthony Pettis, who lost a unanimous decision to Nate Diaz in the co-main event (highlights). But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now 48 hours removed from the show?
Daniel Cormier.
Going into his headlining title fight against Stipe Miocic, “DC” was confident that not only would he once again take out the towering big man, but that he would do it in more devastating fashion than his previous first-round knockout win.
Plus, another win over Stipe would allow Cormier to write his own ticket at least once more before he rode off into the sunset. And through the first three rounds, everything was looking great for the former UFC “champ-champ,” as he was up on all three scorecards and cruising toward a unanimous decision win.
Then, Miocic switched things up and started attacking the body, hurting Cormier repeatedly with clean liver shots. And they were consistent, as Miocic was going to the well time and time again. Eventually, “DC” was so worried with the body shot, that he left a slight opening for Stipe to crack him with a solid strike to the chin, rocking him in the process.
Seeing blood, Miocic put his foot on the gas and started tagging Cormier, sending him retreating to the cage, ultimately dropping him before the referee stepped in to put an end to the fight. The loss was Cormier’s first at Heavyweight in 16 bouts. Furthermore, Stipe is now the only man other than Jon Jones to get a win over the longtime great.
The loss is a tough one for “DC,” as he was adamant about ending his mixed martial arts (MMA) career on a win. And while he wasn’t 100-percent convinced he’d be walking away with another win over Miocic, it would have been a perfect time to go out on top.
Instead, the ex-265-pound champion now finds himself belt-less and with another “L” on his record. Which isn’t a bad thing, as not too many fighters — especially big men — can say they’ve only lost to a total of two people. Still, the defeat leaves Daniel with a very tough decision moving forward.
Most will say “DC” doesn’t have anything left to prove in the sport, and they are right, as he has done pretty much anything a fighter can do, even after getting a super late start to his professional fighting career. He’s been to the big dance several times, fought and beaten some of the best in the world, and made a lot of money doing it. He also found himself a nice side gig as a broadcaster through fighting.
If “DC” decides to walk away, his legacy is intact despite getting busted up by Miocic. Perhaps one of the worst parts about the defeat is that it gives Jones more ammunition to use against Cormier, which he wasted no time doing after the fight.
Still, Cormier will always be known as one of the best, and something tells me he won’t want to end his storied career on a loss. If he decides to return, a trilogy fight against Miocic should be in order. Last Sat. night’s fight was another thriller and “DC” did offer that same opportunity to the newly-crowned champ.
It’s only fair. Right?
For live results and complete play-by-play updates from UFC 241 click here.