There was a method to Daniel Cormier’s madness at UFC 226 this past weekend (Sat. July 7, 2018).
In the opening moments of “DC’s” fight against Stipe Miocic at the event, the Cleveland firefighter seemed to be getting the better of the former Olympian. Eventually Cormier turned up the pace and was able to render Miocic unconscious while tangled up inside the clinch.
Cormier explained his game-plan for Miocic in the UFC 226 post-fight press conference. “DC” said he needed to take Miocic’s best shots before he could confidently come forward and put the pressure on the now-former heavyweight champion. After realizing Miocic didn’t hit “abnormally hard” Cormier was able to turn up the volume (via MMA Fighting):
“When we fight a guy we like to get his timing, so that’s what I was doing,” said Cormier. “I was seeing how he hit and seeing how fast he was and everything. He took me down and he was trying to hit me when I got back up.
“It all hurts, Stipe is a big, strong guy, he’s a great champion, but it wasn’t anything abnormal. I was like, ‘He hits hard, but not abnormally hard’. When I figured that out and I got a little bit of his timing, I figured that it wouldn’t be one punch that kind of slept me.
“I could start to match forward and try get in the clinch. That’s what I started doing and I started to have success there; hitting him with the jab and hitting him with a couple of right hands. Early in the fight, we got into a clinch position and you guys know one of my favorite positions is a collar tie and uppercuts.
“I’m sure [Miocic] planned for that, but Rosendo [Sanchez] and I have been working on going collar tie, uppercut, and then following it with a right hook. After the first one, I think [Miocic] tried to block the first uppercut but then the right hook was coming and it landed beautifully.”
Cormier’s victory makes him the second ever man in UFC history to hold two titles in different weight classes simultaneously. He is expected to partake in a super fight with Brock Lesnar towards late 2018 or early 2019.
What are your thoughts on Cormier’s comments regarding Miocic’s punching power? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
