UFC 241: Cormier vs Miocic 2 - Aug 17 🇺🇸

[jimufctna24]

DC weighed in at 236lbs. That is 15lbs lighter than he weighed in for his last fight, and 10lbs lighter than he weighed in for his first fight with Miocic. He said he's slimmed down because he expects the rematch to go longer than the first fight. 

I'm thus leaning towards DC winning on points. But I wouldn't be shocked at all if Miocic gets the nod from the judges. It should be a back and forth affair. 

[AdamTH17]

Main card predictions:

Miocic to win via stoppage in the 4th/5th. Absolute tightrope this, but I'll think he'll be coming in quicker, sharper, and more on the ball. I see DC controlling the first couple of rounds before Stipe takes over and finishes Cormier through volume as opposed to a big one-punch shot. Diaz to get the nod via decision, he looks a lot bigger and I feel like if his boxing is still as fluid (albeit a big if) he'll be able to keep Pettis at range enough to land some decent shots. Romero purely because he doesn't strike me as close to being finished, and he's got more tools in his arsenal. Also probably more likely to hit something stupid to send Costa's head flying into the 4th row. I like Borrachina, but this might be a bridge too far at this stage. Benitez and Brunson to get wins too.

Those top 3 fights are so hard to pick though, man. I'm 60-40 in favour of Stipe at the moment, but Diaz/Pettis and Yoel/Costa are complete coin tosses.

[jimufctna24]

Fucking hell, I am knackered myself after all that. The top three fights all delivered. 

A few quick thoughts:

- Great adjustment by Miocic in the 4th round. The tide was already turning in his favour in the 3rd round. DC, as he against Jones in the rematch, looked very strong in the opening 10 minutes and dominated a round during that duration, but then the wheels completely fell off for him. 

- Diaz hasn't skipped a beat since we last saw him in 2016. I would be well up for Masvidal vs Diaz next.

- Romero vs Costa was everything it promised to be. Romero is one of the weirdest fighters I have ever observed, yet he's bundles of fun to watch. I scored the fight to Romero by a score of 29-28. I felt Romero did just about enough to edge round 2. I can't argue with the judges' scorecards though. 

 

[wandshogun09]

First time I’ve stayed up for a UFC in forever. Don’t regret it a bit. Delivered in a big way, especially the top 3 fights. By far the show of the year so far with 3 legit FOTY candidates one after the other. I’m as done as DC after that last body shot now. 

[Bus Surfer]

Well you're gonna struggle to find a show where the top 3 fights deliver like that. Tremdous stuff. 

Stipe's adjustment in the 4th was pretty masterful. I had him down 3 rounds at that point but he just turned it all on it's head. Amazing stuff. 

Nate looked pretty damn sharp, he seems to have matured a little too. I was expecting a profanity laced post fight promo, but his more laid back approach is easier to get behind. Dude looked a complete star and the Masvidal fight will no doubt be entertaining. Couldn't help but smile thinking he's back on the horse and getting shit done whilst McGregor continues to fuck himself up. 

Costa/Romero was insanity as expected. I gave Costa the first 2 rounds so had no problem with the outcome. Amazing fight. Fuck those fans for booing the result though, they left it all in there and don't make the decision. 

Really fun show. 

Edited August 18, 2019 by Silky Kisser

[wandshogun09]

Stipe vs DC 2 was one of the best heavyweight fights we’ve seen in some time. DC looked great early on. He lands way more punches than he has any business doing given his size disadvantage at heavyweight. And he was busting Stipe up with his hands early. That big delayed slam in the first round was awesome too. After 2 rounds I was really thinking Cormier was just going to run away with it. But Stipe got back into it and had a better 3rd round. Then as soon as that one body shot landed in the 4th and DC kind of reacted to it, Stipe was all over it. I thought DC was already starting to look a bit tired before that but all those digging hooks to the body would’ve sped up the process. And Stipe did a tremendous job closing the show. I don’t even think it’s up for debate now, Stipe Miocic is the GOAT of heavyweight MMA. Wins over Cormier, Overeem, Ngannou, JDS, Werdum, Hunt, Arlovski, Nelson etc, most title defences, 2 time champ, avenged the DC loss. He’s the man. He’s definitely surpassed Fedor and Cain in the heavyweight all time greats convo now. 

What next for Stipe? A rubber match with Cormier, a rematch with Ngannou, Jon Jones? I wouldn’t be surprised if DC calls it a day now. I was sure he was going to retire in the cage after the fight when you could see him taking the gloves off but he held off on it. I kind of feel like a third Jones fight is even further away after this. If DC fights again I think it’ll be to finish the trilogy with Stipe. But I think he might decide to step down. 

Diaz vs Pettis was so much fun. And it struck me watching the entrances, one thing that’s really been lacking in the UFC this year is that truly big fight atmosphere. There’s been some brilliant fights this year, but this was the first time in 2019 where the pre-fight video package came on and I really felt that proper magic feeling like ‘Oh shit. This is actually about to happen.’ It’s Nate. Say what you want about him and criticise but there’s an aura around his fights now. His time away had a lot to do with it but watching him walk out was the first time all year that I’ve really and truly had that real goosebumpy feeling watching MMA. And the fight was so entertaining. I don’t think we can read too much into it regarding where Nate stands. This was bags of fun but style-wise it was always going to be. But 170 now is really a nightmare division for him if you look at who the top guys are and their styles. Usman, Covington, Woodley and Askren would give him fits with their wrestling. I think he knows it too. Which is why he’s not even talking about the title. He just wants fun fights. Masvidal is the obvious one now. I’d also love to see him against Till or Lawler or even Perry. And of course there’s always that McGregor rubber match out there. 

Diaz vs Masvidal is perfect for next though. Masvidal wanted the title shot or a big name like McGregor or Diaz. And with Usman vs Covington surely being announced any day now (reading MSG rumours for that one), Masvidal would’ve had to wait until next year anyway. So why not do the big fight with Nate? It’s ideal for Nate, for Jorge, for the UFC, and definitely for us. I’m holding back on getting too excited though. Could just as easily see Nate disappearing for another 3 years. 

Romero vs Costa was fucking incredible! Easily could’ve gone either way. I did completely lose track of scoring it even as soon as the middle of the first round though. I got fully swept up in the chaos. Great, great fight. Nobody should’ve been getting booed after that. As sadistic as it sounds I wish this had been a 5 rounder. Costa is on about fighting the Whittaker vs Adesanya winner next. I’m on board. It’s happening quickly for Costa but when you’re undefeated and you just beat Yoel Romero in one of the best fights of the year, why not? Think there’s been a bit of trash talk between him and Adesanya as well. 

Enjoyed the rest of the card as well. I didn’t think there was a bad fight on there from what I saw. 

Yusuff vs Benitez was short and sweet. Yusuff looks good. He’s likeable and he’s obviously got a dig on him. 

Brunson vs Heinisch was a lively main card opener. Brunson did well to survive that early headkick and go on to outwork Heinisch. 

Where did Khama Worthy come from?! The late replacement curse strikes again. Devonte Smith has looked like a good prospect as well and Worthy comes in on a few days notice and sparks him in a round. That was some first impression. With his fighting style and personality, you can tell he’s going to be fun to follow. 

And Drakkar Klose vs Christos Giagos...on almost any other show this would’ve had the FOTN bonus all wrapped up. Seriously, if you skipped this go back and watch it. Really exciting, all action, back and forth fight. They were unlucky to be on the same card as those mental top 3 fights really. Fucked them both out of the $50K bonus. 

Amazing card top to bottom. Best of 2019 so far without a doubt. There has been some great fights this year but up until this show the only ones really standing out in the FOTY talk for me were Adesanya vs Gastelum and Luque vs Barberena. What a difference one crazy night can make. This card alone has thrown up 4 more fights into the FOTY mix. 

[ColinBollocks]

The UFC felt like a big deal again, last night. As pointed out above, it's felt like ages since we've had a card/fight that felt big time and this show had a little extra - my heart was pounding during the main event.

What a main event. DC seemed to have Stipe sussed for two and a half rounds, with great head movement and speed, but like someone that you can safely call "the greatest heavyweight ever" Stipe somehow figured a way to get it done. He seemed to spend two rounds trying different offence to see what worked (and DC coped with most of it), but the way he set up the finale with those body shots was masterful. Stipe will probably never get the adulation he deserves when he's fighting, but it'a great watching him do his work - we're watching something special. We discussed the other day about how DC should have retired when he said because this was a fight too far. DC looked good for most of the fight, but he's never getting the walk off he wanted, but very few fighters do. At least he got payed. I'm still interested in the 3rd fight, if DC's body can cope.

Fair play to Nate. Great fight and he looked excellent throughout, all things considered. Pettis always struggles against tight pressure and Nate was refusing to move.

Yoel v Costa was so close that they should definitely be thinking of a rematch soon. I've been expecting big things from Costa since his debut, but was really concerned the UFC were rushing him here. That first round exchange was on of the best of the year, not a clue how either man wasn't ended.

[Marshmallo]

 

Yes!

[wandshogun09]

Completely missed this little gem in all the mayhem of Romero vs Costa...

 

[David]

DC with yet another poke to the fucking eye, it was ridiculous. Herb is a shambles these days. Glad to see Miocic send him home with nothing but a box of doughnuts.

Jon Jones was cackling like a panto villain after that.

[Egg Shen]

I found the main event a strange fight to watch. DC started great, but his complete lack of respect for Miocic game in round 2 was weird, DC was marching forward like he believed he couldnt be hurt. I still had him winning the first 3 rounds but he faded badly, felt he set a pace he couldnt keep. Miocic just hung tough, gutted it out and took over in round 4. 

Diaz/Pettis was great to watch. Im actually glad it hit the deck because the exchanges there were a bit of a treat. Pettis' hurting his ankle changed the course of the fight, that coupled with Diaz' pressure forced him to fight the type of fight he shouldnt have got into. Classic Diaz. Thought the Masvidal call out was great, i thought he'd shout Conor, but im 100% down for a Diaz/Masvidal main event. Diaz is a star.

 

[Chunk]

Well happy for Stipe. I've got nothing against DC and he seems like a top bloke but (having only seem him in the UFC) I've never been that convinced by him. Obviously Jones did a number on him twice but this is the kind of defeat he's always seemed possible of having, to me. I know there are many on here capable of making that sound stupid - an argument for a different thread. I thought the first 3 rounds of the fight were terrible from a fighters perspective. A dream for any boxer that says MMA fighters can't box. They just stood in front of each other, hands down, still heads, trading. The moment one of them decided to move his feet a little, move his head, and throw some shots with a bit of strategy, the fight was done. DC's defensive boxing seemed to entail reaching out with hands open trying to grab Stipe's wrists.

[David]

20 minutes ago, Chunk said:

Well happy for Stipe. I've got nothing against DC and he seems like a top bloke but (having only seem him in the UFC) I've never been that convinced by him. Obviously Jones did a number on him twice but this is the kind of defeat he's always seemed possible of having, to me. I know there are many on here capable of making that sound stupid - an argument for a different thread. I thought the first 3 rounds of the fight were terrible from a fighters perspective. A dream for any boxer that says MMA fighters can't box. They just stood in front of each other, hands down, still heads, trading. The moment one of them decided to move his feet a little, move his head, and throw some shots with a bit of strategy, the fight was done. DC's defensive boxing seemed to entail reaching out with hands open trying to grab Stipe's wrists.

Part of the problem early on was another eye poke for Stipe. You could see that it was bothering him for a round or so, he kept blinking and rubbing at it. I honestly thought "great, here we fucking go again" when I saw it. Cormier was basically walking towards him with his fingers outstretched constantly, and I think I heard one warning from Herb after a few rounds.

Like you said, once Stipe put his shit together a bit the fight swung pretty drastically. I honestly believed that was how the first fight would have went, I was fairly sure that the height, reach, and striking ability of Stipe would have gotten the job done. After that first fight he seemed pretty hesitant initially, especially after another eye poke. It was deep as well, a thumb right in the eye.

The only difference in this fight is that he didn't get caught with a great shot while he was trying to recover. Those body shots looked harsh, especially on a tubby like Cormier.

[Carbomb]

I don't dislike DC, but I'm glad Miocic won. He was closer to getting to GOATHW, plus he has more years left on the clock. He's avenged 2 of his 3 losses, and I don't think anyone's in any doubt about what would happen if he went for a rematch with Struve (in fact, I have a vague feeling that, should the match-makers even make that match for some reason, they should be prosecuted for attempted murder or criminal negligence or something).

DC was never going to get a win back against Jones at LHW, and given the state of his body, I'm doubtful now he'd have accomplished it at HW either. Someone like Jones, you have to be in absolute tip-top condition, or you're getting eye-poked and schooled eight ways from the Sabbath.

[David]

They should sign Jones to face Cormier in a fight where punches are illegal, and only eye-pokes are allowed.