Report: Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic 2 targeted for August
The rematch, according to reports, is in the works for the UFC heavyweight championship of the world.
In a Tuesday night report from ESPN, Daniel Cormier will defend his title against the former champion — and the man he defeated to capture the title last summer — Stipe Miocic. The championship rematch is targeted for Aug. 17 in Anaheim, California. ESPN’s report states that both men have verbally agreed to the fight, although contracts have not been signed as of yet.
The original plan, according to UFC president Dana White, was to have Cormier defend against the returning Brock Lesnar. White had told ESPN Tuesday evening that Lesnar is “done” and has “retired” from mixed martial arts competition. While many conceived what White told ESPN as a possible negotiation tactic from Lesnar — something the former WWE Universal Champion has done many times throughout his career — it seems the UFC is moving quickly to Plan B.
“DC”, while already the light heavyweight champion, captured the heavyweight title from Miocic in July 2018 via first round knockout in the main event of UFC 226. Cormier had said he was going to retire by the time he turned 40, which happened in March, but has made the decision to ride out this incredible pound-for-pound run of greatness for a little while longer.
Miocic was the longest reigning heavyweight champion in UFC history before dropping the belt to Cormier. The Ohio native captured the title when he knocked out Fabricio Werdum in the first round at UFC 198 in May 2016 and went on to defend the title with TKO finishes of Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos. Miocic would also defeat the surging Francis Ngannou in January 2018 at UFC 220 in Boston via a dominant unanimous decision. This will be the 36-year-old’s first Octagon appearance since losing the title to Cormier.
Who will walk out of Anaheim with the UFC heavyweight title? Let us know in the comments section below.
