Stipe Miocic came off second best at times in the early rounds against Daniel Cormier tonight at UFC 241, but then in the fourth round he started working to the body and it paid dividends, leaading to punches upstairs that rocked his opponent and led to the TKO finish.
Round One:
The main event of the evening is underway in Anaheim.
It’s all leg kicks in the opening minute of the round as Cormier repeatedly lands and Miocic follows suit.
Cormier lands a right hand and another behind it. Cormier in for his first takedown attempt of the night and holds Miocic on his shoulder’s and takes his time before slamming him to the mat.
Cormier in half-guard but Miocic brings him back to full guard. Cormier staying patient. he lands a few punches to the body and then to the head.
Cormier eventually postures up, only to eat an upkick and then goes back down. Miocic gets to his knees but Cormier lands hard uppercuts that has him covering up and leads to a warning from the ref to keep fighting. Miocic is working back to his feet as the round ends.
Round two:
Miocic with a jab followed by a leg kick. DC with his own leg kick. Miocic lands a knee to the body. Miocic works to the body with punches and Cormier lands a solid right hand.
Elbow lands for Cormier. Right hand for the champion. Miocic appeared to get an eyepoke there but there’s no stoppage and he fights on. Miocic lands an uppercut. jabs landing for him too now.
Both fighters trading blows now. cormier lands nicely with hooks and an uppercut behind them. They clinch and Miocic lands an uppercut. Both men throwing and landing here. Body kick for Miocic. Head kick from Cormier.
Round Three:
Body punch and body kick from Miocic. He lands another good strike. Miocic tries for a takedown that doesn’t pay off.
Jabs landing for DC. Left hand for Miocic. leg kick for DC. One-two for Miocic. Hook for Cormier. Miocic walks Cormier over to the cage.
Knee to the body for Miocic. Spinning elbow attempt from Miocic misses. Short punches from Miocic to keep DC at bay. leg kick for DC.
Jab landing for Cormier. Now a body kick. Solid jabs again for DC. Solid right for Miocic. Cormier still landing though. Miocic gets into the clinch and then lands a takedown on the Olympian wrestler.
Cormier quickly back up. Cormier with a short flurry. Good body punch for Miocic. Leg kick for DC. Hard overhand right for DC.
Solid right hands for Cormier, but then Miocic lands a hard one-two. Nice straight right for Miocic and then punches in return from Cormier to end the round.
Round Four:
Leg kick for Miocic after a jab. He lands the jab again. Cormier fires back but misses. jab for Miocic, but then a lunging left from Cormier.
jab lands for Miocic. DC backing up a lot at the moment, perhaps recharging after a hard fought three rounds so far.
Body punch from Miocic. He lands again with the left hook. jab for DC. Again Miocic goes for the body shot. Again it lands. A leg kick and then rips the body yet again. How about again, and again.
The left hooks to the body continue. Now DC starts throwing back and lands a good left. two more to the body, one to the head and then to the body again.
Cormier with a solid connection. Quick jab for Cormier. Body punches for Miocic and then a right hand upstairs.
Left hook to the body for Miocic and then connects to the head with a right hand and DC is hurt!
DC backs up and is clobbered by two powerful right that send him thumping against the cage and then a further barrage of blows sinks him to the canvas. That’s it, the fight is over, Miocic wins by TKO in the fourth round!
