Current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic put his title on the line against reigning light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier in the headliner of tonight’s UFC 226 event in Las Vegas. Stipe Miocic entered tonight’s contest on a six fight win streak, sporting an overall record of 18-2. Meanwhile, Daniel Cormier is 20-1 in sum, his latest win coming over Volkan Oezdemir via second-round TKO at UFC 220 in Boston. Round one begins and Miocic takes the center of the cage. Cormier is circling along the outside. He misses with a low kick. Miocic closes the distance and lands an uppercut. “DC” grabs a hold of the clinch and lands an uppercut. They break and Cormier connects with a low kick follows by a right hand. The fighters clinch up and it goes to the ground with Miocic on top. “DC” gets back to his feet and the fighters continue to battle against the cage. Knees from Miocic. Cormier with some shots while pressed against the cage. He is warned not to hit the back of the head. Cromier with a right hand and then a stiff jab. Miocic walks forward and connects with a right. Stipe looks way bigger than Cormier. The fighters grapple for position. Cormier breaks free from the fence and circles out. Stipe with a nice jab and then a hook. He lands another combination. Cormier comes back with a left. He leaps in with a nice combination. Cormier with a slap but it hits Miocic in the eye. We have a short stoppage so Miocic can recover. “DC” receives a warning and then we restart. Cormier with a one two. He lands a right hand and Miocic is down. Ground and pound its over! https://twitter.com/UFCTRVideos/status/1015815073045065729 What did you guys think of the fight? Sound off in the comments section PENN Nation! This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM<doc-sep>Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to the hurt business last night (Sat., July 7, 2018) for UFC 226 from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, which was headlined by a Heavyweight title fight between division champion Stipe Miocic and Light Heavyweight king Daniel Cormier that saw “DC” knock out Miocic to become a two-division champion (recap). In the co-main event, Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis plotted around the Octagon for 15 minutes and delivered one of the most lackluster fights in the history of the sport, which Lewis ultimately won via decision. Winner: Daniel Cormier Who He Should Fight Next: Brock Lensar It’s not so much who he should fight next, it’s who he will fight. After Cormier made history by knocking out Stipe Miocic in the very first round, “DC” called Brock into the cage and all hell nearly broke loose after the towering Heavyweight shoved the double champion. Obviously, Dana brought Brock into the T-Mobile Arena to challenge the winner, so why people were hating on “DC” calling him out and Brock’s over the top theatrics, is beyond me. It’s Lesnar, you know what you're getting with him. He’s done it time and time again, and will continue to do so. That said, Dana did say Cormier vs Lesnar is the fight to make, like it or not. And I for one am not too disappointed, as “DC” deserves to cash in on his way out for always being a good ambassador for the sport. And sorry, Curtis, but Cormier vs Blaydes doesn’t exactly have the ring that Cormier vs Lesnar does. But don’t worry, you are still firmly in the mix. As for what this means to the Light Heavyweight division, don’t be surprised if the 205-pound showdown between Alexander Gustafsson and Volkan Oezdemir — which is set for UFC 227 on Aug 4 — gets turned into an interim title fight. Winner: Derrick Lewis Who He Should Fight Next: Alexander Volkov Lewis kissed any hopes of a title fight goodbye after his dreadful performance against Francis Ngannou. Plus, “DC” will only partake in big money fights with his career coming to an end soon. Volkov, meanwhile, has won his first five fights inside the Octagon, including knocking out Fabricio Werdum in his previous outing last March. Lewis knows he needs a few more wins to get into the title picture, and who better to face than a former Heavyweight champion who’s on a roll and ready to stake his own claim in the UFC’s big man division. Winner: Anthony Pettis Who He Should Fight Next: Al Iaquinta Ideally, I would love to see Pettis face Nate Diaz, but the Stockton slugger suddenly thinks he’s above fights like this after Conor McGregor fell into his lap, twice. And I’m willing to bet anything that he will never, ever accept a fight against “Showtime.” That said, a fight that is more likely to happen is one against Al Iaquinta. Al was set to face Justin Gaethje in a couple of months but pulled out due to nagging injuries. With Pettis a few spots behind him on the rankings list, it’s a fight that makes sens on many levels. Pettis looked good against “Maverick,” and if he can keep it going against a man like “Ragin,” he could find himself moving up the ladder and one step closer to reclaiming the gold belt. Winner: Mike Perry Who He Should Fight Next: Yancy Medeiros Perry was originally set to face Yancy at this event but Medeiros was forced out with an unfortunate injury a few weeks prior to fight night. After Mike took care of Felder in an all-out bloody brawl, it only makes sens to re-book this fight for a future event. Winner: Khalil Rountree Who He Should Fight Next: Dominick Reyes After knocking out — Gokhan Saki — one of the greatest strikers in combat sports, it’s time for Rountree ranked opponent. And while Dominick doesn’t exactly have the name of a Saki, in the MMA world, he is more accomplished than “The Turkish Tyson,” winning his first three UFC fights, going undefeated (9-0) in his combat career. While Reyes is far from a household name, he has done enough to warrant a top 15 ranking, something Khalil doesn’t have. For complete UFC 226: “Miocic vs Cormier” results, including play-by-play updates, click here.<doc-sep>You may or may not agree with placing Daniel Cormier in the conversations among the greatest of all time in the UFC, but after what took place on Saturday night at UFC 226, he has certainly earned the recognition. Cormier went into the Octagon looking to make history and become a simultaneous two-division champion by defeating reigning heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic -- and DC did just that. Cormier became the new UFC heavyweight champion on Saturday night in quick and impressive fashion. After battling back and forth for a good portion of the opening round, Cormier landed a stiff right hook to the jaw of the seemingly unstoppable Miocic to shock the world and claim victory. It was Cormier's first knockout win since he KO'd Patrick Cummins in 2014. Can't get enough UFC? Subscribe to my podcast In This Corner with Brian Campbell where we break down everything you need to know in the Octagon. "I am 39 years old, and I've been second a lot of times, but today I finally accomplished everything from crying in this very same octagon last year -- almost a year to the day -- to becoming the UFC heavyweight champion. Joe, this is the most amazing thing I've ever experienced," Cormier said after the fight. Immediately, we would learn who Cormier's next challenger will inevitably be. The new champ wasted no time in calling former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to the cage, who was sitting Octagon-side for the main event. Lesnar entered the Octagon, shoved Cormier and quickly provided an answer. Cormier took the microphone and emphatically told Lesnar, "Shove me now, and go to sleep later," making quite the early prediction for their reported showdown, which does not yet have a date as Lesnar re-enters the USADA testing program. That's later, however. The main focus of Saturday night is that Cormier quickly added to his legacy at UFC 226 by impressively ending the reign of the most dominant UFC heavyweight champion in history. Cormier joins Conor McGregor in becoming the only other fighter to hold two titles at the same time. CBS Sports was be with you all night with our live blog below. If you are having trouble viewing the blog, please click here. UFC 226 fight card/results Daniel Cormier (c) def. Stipe Miocic via first-round TKO (punches) Derrick Lewis def. Francis Ngannou via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Mike Perry def. Paul Felder via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Anthony Pettis def. Michael Chiesa via second-round submission (Armbar) Khalil Rountree def. Gokhan Saki via first-round TKO (punches) Paulo Costa def. Uriah Hall via second-round TKO (punches) Raphael Assuncao def. Rob Font via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Drakkar Klose def. Lando Vannata via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Curtis Millender def. Max Griffin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) UFC 226 updates, commentary Thanks for stopping by.<doc-sep>
Daniel Cormier delivered one of the most electrifying moments in the history of mixed martial arts on Saturday night. The reigning UFC light heavyweight champion went up in weight and challenged Stipe Miocic for the latter’s UFC heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 226 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In his biggest career moment, Cormier delivered, winning via knockout at the 4:33 mark of the opening round to claim the championship. With the win, the 39-year-old Cormier joins Conor McGregor as just the second simultaneous two-weight champion in the UFC’s 25-year history. He joins McGregor, Randy Couture, B.J. Penn, and Georges St-Pierre as the only fighters to hold belts in multiple weight classes any point in their UFC career. “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!” Cormier weighed in on Friday at 246 pounds, 3.5 heavier than Miocic. But Miocic nonetheless had a height and reach advantage that he exploited in the early going. But while Miocic stung Cormier on several occasions, Cormier never lost his composure. And he found his opening late in the round. Clinched in the middle of the Octagon, Cormier dropped Miocic with a brutal right uppercut which dropped Miocic, then landed four uncontested punches on the ground before referee Marc Goddard waved things off. “Watching the video, we noticed Stipe keeps his hands a little bit low coming out of the clinch,” Cormier said. With the victory, Cormier improved to 21-1 (1 NC). He also improved to 14-0 in his career at heavyweight. Miocic (18-3) had a six-fight winning streak snapped, ending a title reign in which he became the only fighter ever to successfully defend the UFC heavyweight title three consecutive times. After the bout, Cormier called out former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, who came into the Octagon. The WWE star put on a pro-wrestling-like display to build up a presumed bout for later in the year.