Stipe Miocic cemented his legacy as the finest heavyweight winner in UFC history with a unanimous decision acquire in excess of Daniel Cormier, who verified his retirement just after their hotly-anticipated heavyweight title trilogy combat at UFC 252 on Saturday.
In their to start with meeting at UFC 226 in July 2018, then gentle-heavyweight winner Cormier surprised Miocic in the first spherical in Las Vegas to become a two-division winner.
But Miocic generated a outstanding appear-from-powering effectiveness in Anaheim past August to transform the tables and halt Cormier in the rematch at UFC 241.
And the rivals battled all the way in their 3rd assembly, behind closed doors at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, with Miocic, 37, coming out on top with scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 from the three judges.
‘Hard get the job done pays off’
“Everyone talks about legacy. The only motive I’m satisfied to cement my legacy was to display my daughter, to present her that hard get the job done pays off,” Miocic reported.
“If you do a thing, you put your head and work into it, you can do fantastic items.”
A crestfallen Cormier, 41, added: “It sucks, becoming on the shedding close of two massive fights and trilogies – it is a quite sad situation to be in. But I will offer with it as I’ve dealt with points in the previous.
“I’m not intrigued in combating for everything but titles, and I you should not picture you can find likely to be a title in the future, so that’ll be it for me. I have had a extensive run, it can be been great.”
Miocic mentioned of his rival: “I’ve often experienced a good deal of regard for the guy. He is an amazing fighter, I wish him all the finest.”
The outcome improved Ohio firefighter Miocic’s job record to 20 wins and 3 losses, and extended two vital UFC documents. He became the first fighter to get 6 heavyweight title fights, and complete four heavyweight title defences.
In the meantime, Cormier retires with a job report of 15 wins and two losses, and is a person of only four athletes to keep UFC titles in two fat courses at the same time, alongside Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo.
He was also the to start with to efficiently defend UFC titles in two distinctive excess weight courses.
O’Malley suffers initially defeat
In the night’s co-principal party, Ecuador’s Marlon Vera handed scorching prospect Sean O’Malley the 1st defeat of his MMA job with a to start with-round TKO following the American was hurt midway by the initially round of their bantamweight matchup, when he appeared to roll his ankle and collapse on his foot.
O’Malley, 25, tried to struggle via his injuries, but Vera, 27, took entire edge of his rival’s reduced mobility as he took benefit of a second slip to land on prime and unload a salvo of punishing elbows that pressured referee Herb Dean to action in.
Vera’s victory was his sixth in his last 7 fights in the UFC’s bantamweight division and improved his spectacular end rate, with every of his very last eight wins coming within the distance.
Devoted problem solver. Tv advocate. Avid zombie aficionado. Proud twitter nerd. Subtly charming alcohol geek.
