Stipe Miocic successfully won his trilogy fight with Daniel Cormier tonight at UFC 252 by unanimous decision to retain his heavyweight title.
Round One:
The main event heavyweight trilogy title fight is underway in Las Vegas!
Inside leg kick for Miocic. Quick jab from Miocic comes off the gloves. Now back to the inside leg kick.
Solid jab for Miocic. Missed leg kick from Cormier. Now a front kick to the body from him that also comes up a bit short. Kick for Miocic.
Miocic with a solid body punch. Now DC gets his first takedown of the night. Miocic was trying for a guillotine on the way down, but nothing doing. Miocic quickly back up, but DC has him up against the cage and his arm wrapped on his neck while he lands a knee to the body.
Miocic able to break free now and they go back to striking range with around half the round remaining.
Nice one-two for Miocic. Now a body punch. Jab for DC. Good leg kick for Cormier. Missed front kick to the body though.
Body punch for Miocic. Now a glancing right hand for him and DC lands a hard counter punch. Eyepoke from DC as he sticks his hand out that forces a stoppage.
Low leg kick from DC. Inside leg kick from Miocic. Body punch for Miocic. Outside leg kick from Miocic.
Solid body punch from Cormier. Now a good overhand right for Miocic. Leg kick. He lands again to the head. Good work from him.
Hard exchange in close and Cormier connects solidly. jab for Miocic. Inside leg kick for the champion.
Cuffing punch from DC and then a big right hook behind it that hurt Miocic, but he fights through it and seems ok as the round ends.
Round Two:
Front kick to the body for Miocic. Low kick for Cormier. A kick from Miocic lands to the groin, but DC is quickly able to continue.
Nice uppercut from Miocic got DC’s attention. Body punch from Cormier. Inside leg kick for MIocic and then in return from Cormier.
In close Cormier blasts hard right hands. Solid body punch for Miocic. DC powering up on his punches. Now a leg kick exchange apiece.
Body punch and then upstairs from Cormier. Body punch from Miocic. Back to the leg kick for Miocic. Jab lands for DC. Now a leg kick for him. And again.
Body punch for Miocic. Punch to the chest and to the head from Cormier. Big punch for Miocic. Both men landing cleanly to the head.
Cormier just misses with hard punches. Hard body punch for Miocic and they stand in the clinch momentarily then break.
Right hand for Cormier. Now a leg kick. Right hand over the top from Cormier off a takedown attempt.
Body punches for Cormier. Cormier firing out repeated jabs and then the power hand behind it.
Miocic presses forward aggressively and blasts DC with a big right hook. He lands it again and DC drops to the mat. He gets on top to end the round with momentum suddenly very much in his favor.
Cormier stumbles back to his corner and is clearly still hurt after that sequence.
Round Three:
Miocic lands, but then Cormier connects with a solid jab. Head kick attempt from Miocic. Left hand for Miocic.
One-two lands hard for Miocic. Cormier trying to throw too though even though he might still be a bit dazed here.
Solid punch from Cormier. Miocic into the clinch and pushes Cormier over to the cage.
They soon seperate and go back to striking range. Jab for DC. Now a low kick. Front kick to the body from Miocic. Miocic marches forward with punches and backs Cormier into the cage and clinches with him.
Miocic taking his time here and landing a few light knees to the leg. A couple of body punches. Knee to the body. Miocic separate while landing a clipping right hand.
Cormier with a couple of kicks. DC trying to press forward now. Body punch for Miocic. Kick for Cormier. Glancing uppercut from Miocic.
Body punch for Miocic. Miocic with what looks like a punch, but replays show is a very bad eyepoke and Cormier counters with a big punch.
Cormier staggering back complaining about the eyepoke, but the ref doesn’t allow a stoppage – thankfully the round ends. Cormier’s eye looks bad though.
Round Four
Cormier lands a nice right hand. He connects with it again. Miocic opts to clinch up against the cage.
They separate. Cormier lands a jab. Hard right and then a left behind it from Miocic. Another right lands for Miocic.
Body punch for Miocic. DC with a body strike. Now an inside leg kick. Another leg kick for him but Miocic connects with a counter punch.
Nice short left from Miocic and then into the clinch and presses DC to the cage. DC gets away. He lands a punch and an uppercut. Now a body punch.
Miocic bursts into a big right hand. Now DC firing off a big connection on the right hand too. DC catches Miocic again.
Miocic again opts to press Cormier into the cage. They exchange knees. DC tries to work a trip, but it doesn’t work out. Miocic with a left hook.
Good outside leg kick for DC. Miocic into the clinch yet again. He lands a knee. Miocic opts to back up. Glancing punches from DC.
Nice two-piece combo from Miocic and a right hand from DC and that’s the final action of the fourth round.
Round Five:
Leg kick for DC. Body punch for MIocic. Leg kick. DC with a body punch. several short punches from DC. Miocic lands. DC fires back. Push kick for Miocic.
Two-piece combo from Miocic. Jab for DC. They clinch up and DC presses Miocic up against the cage. Miocic turns him into the cage though.
Light knees for Miocic. DC with a body punch. More light strikes from Miocic, but mostly just focusing on control from this position.
DC pushes him away. Both men just missing with punches. Knee in close from Miocic and then DC connects a few times with punches. He continues to press the action, but then Miocic lands nicely himself.
They clinch. DC lands a punch. into the clinch again, and again it’s Miocic who ends up pressing him into the cage.
90 seconds remaining. Miocic with a body punch and one upstairs as they spearate. Cormier marching forward now but Miocic lands a big punch and then another.
Miocic trying to work a takedown, but DC stuffs it and presses him up against the cage. Overhand right lands for Cormier.
Cormier working over to the cage again and landing punches from the collar tie. Miocic reverses and presses him into the cage.
30 seconds to go. Miocic happy to stall in the clinch here. DC gets away and is looking to march forward for one last big salvo, but the final horn sounds before he can do so.
Decision:
Closely fought battle then from start to finish, tough the biggest moments in the fight were Miocic dropping DC in the second round and then later Cormier suffering a very bad eye poke in the third round that compromised his eyesight for the remainder of the fight.
The judges have rendered their verdict and it’s Stipe Miocic who emerges with a unanimous decision victory (49-46 x2, 48-47).
So Miocic secures the trilogy victory, while Cormier still retires as one of the best of all-time and hopefully everything is ok with his eye as it didn’t look good and he was saying he couldn’t see out of it post-fight.
