Daniel Cormier on Saturday night added the UFC heavyweight championship to his light heavyweight title, stopping Stipe Miocic in dramatic fashion during the first round of their superfight at UFC 226.
Cormier (21-1, 1 no-contest) flattened the UFC’s long-reigning heavyweight champ with a right elbow out of a clinch. He finished Miocic (18-3) on the ground with 27 seconds left in the round by landing several shots to the defenseless champion’s head.
Cormier became the second fighter in UFC history to hold two championship belts simultaneously. Conor McGregor was the UFC’s featherweight champ in 2016 when he took the lightweight title from Eddie Alvarez.
Photo: AFP
“I was a heavyweight for a long time, and I left the division,” Cormier said. “I never knew what I could become, but tonight I got the answer. I’m a two-division champion, baby!”
The 39-year-old Cormier has never lost to anyone except Jon Jones, the former light heavyweight champion who beat him twice.
Cormier’s five-inch height disadvantage and eight-inch reach disadvantage against Miocic proved not to be a problem — and he actually weighed a few pounds more than Miocic at the weigh-in on Friday.
Cormier’s move up to challenge Miocic was only the third superfight in UFC history between reigning champions of two weight classes. Welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre defended his belt in 2009 by battering lightweight champ BJ Penn and McGregor accomplished his feat less than two years ago in his most recent MMA fight.
After beating Miocic, Cormier engaged in a bit of clearly planned theatrics with Brock Lesnar, the professional wrestler and former UFC heavyweight champion. Cormier called Lesnar into the cage and Lesnar shoved Cormier in the chest while the fighters traded insults to hype a potential future bout.
“Push me now, [and] you’re going to sleep later,” Cormier yelled at Lesnar. “Your days are in the past — in the stone age.”
Lesnar is widely expected to return to the UFC later this year.
Lesnar will have to face a remarkable fighter in Cormier, who was a heavyweight amateur wrestler before his late-starting MMA career.
Miocic had held the UFC heavyweight belt for more than two years and was the most dominant heavyweight champion in the history of the UFC’s most tumultuous division, defending his belt a record three times.
The Cleveland firefighter had not lost since December 2014 and had not been stopped since September 2012.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
RSS