Stipe Miocic v Daniel Cormier: It’s going to be champion versus champion at UFC 226
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The event - which takes place on 7 July 2018 - will be one for the record books
The main event of UFC 226 will feature a champion versus champion bout for the biggest prize in MMA.
Record-breaking undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will put his title on the line for a fourth time against reigning UFC light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who’s moving back up to heavyweight for the first time since October 2013.
The bout will serve as the showpiece bout of the UFC’s annual week-long jamboree in Las Vegas, International Fight Week, with the pair going head to head in the T-Mobile Arena for the heavyweight championship of the world.
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Both men scored convincing victories on the same fight card a fortnight ago at UFC 220, with Cormier finishing Swiss challenger Volkan Oezdemir via second-round TKO, and Miocic dominating powerful Cameroonian-French heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou over five rounds.
After that event, UFC president Dana White told FOX Sports he was keen on making the Miocic-Cormier bout, saying: “I don’t see why [Cormier] couldn’t fight at heavyweight. And if he thinks that Cain [Velasquez - Cormier’s training partner and former heavyweight champion] might come back, if he won the belt he could give it up.
“But either way, it’s a good fight. With all the defences he has - Stipe just broke the record for the most defences - it’s a fun fight.”
Guidance: The video below includes scenes of violence.
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Cormier started his career as a heavyweight and raced to 13-0 before switching to the 205lb light-heavyweight division, where he eventually became a two-time UFC champion. Now, after completing a third title defence with victory over Oezdemir, he’s returning to heavyweight in a bid to become only the second fighter (after Conor McGregor) to hold world titles in two divisions at the same time.
Miocic, meanwhile, has already written his name into the UFC record books by becoming the first heavyweight champion in UFC history to defend his title three times. Now he’s looking to raise the bar with a fourth successful defence against Cormier.
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It was also confirmed that Miocic and Cormier will coach opposite each other in the upcoming series of The Ultimate Fighter, with filming for the 27th season of the UFC’s famous reality show set to begin this week.
The best up-and-coming fighters from that season will feature in The Ultimate Fighter Finale in Vegas on Friday, 6 July, with Miocic and Cormier facing off at UFC 226 the following night.
The event has also been linked with two more potential champion versus champion bouts, with a flyweight title clash between UFC champion Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson and current bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw reportedly being considered.
And UFC women’s featherweight champion Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino and reigning bantamweight belt-holder Amanda Nunes are also keen on facing off for Justino’s featherweight title on that date.
Champion versus champion
One historic clash took place back at the aptly-named UFC 75: Champion vs Champion at The O2 Arena in London when reigning UFC light-heavyweight champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson took on PRIDE Champion Dan Henderson in a title unification bout.
The Japanese PRIDE Fighting Championships promotion had recently been acquired and absorbed by the UFC, and Jackson’s unanimous decision victory over ‘Hendo’ saw him crowned the undisputed champion at 205lbs.
But there have only been two UFC bouts contested between two reigning UFC world champions.
The first took place back at UFC 94 in January 2009 when UFC welterweight king Georges St-Pierre successfully defended his title against reigning UFC lightweight (and former welterweight) champion B.J. Penn at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The only other champion versus champion bout was undoubtedly the biggest we’ve ever seen in the UFC, as Irish superstar Conor McGregor - then the UFC featherweight champion - stepped up to challenge Eddie Alvarez for his UFC lightweight title in the UFC’s first event at Madison Square Garden, UFC 205, in November 2016.
McGregor dropped Alvarez five times in arguably the most dominant performance of his UFC career as he stopped Alvarez in two rounds to become the first man to hold UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously. The bout also set a new gate record - both for the UFC and for Madison Square Garden - drawing a colossal $17.7m (£12.5m) at the box office.
Unfortunately, that was the last time we saw ‘The Notorious’ take on a UFC bout, but hopes are high he’ll make his octagon return later this year.
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