5 Rounds: Is Stipe Miocic the best heavyweight in UFC historical past?
Stipe Miocic avenged his 2018 loss to Daniel Cormier and regained the UFC heavyweight championship. Paulo Costa and Yoel Romero had a middleweight trade on the ft for the ages. Three years faraway from his final battle, towards Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz made an instantaneous splash.
Our panel is right here to interrupt down the largest moments of UFC 241.
Is Stipe Miocic the best heavyweight within the historical past of the UFC?
Ariel Helwani: These questions are all the time arduous to reply on battle evening. Nonetheless, I lean towards sure for 2 causes: He has essentially the most title defenses in UFC historical past, and he simply beat who I thought of to be the most effective heavyweight ever. Additionally, in case you did not know, Cormier was an ideal 15-Zero as a heavyweight going into Saturday. In different phrases, that win was actually large for Miocic. It was, in my view, his largest up to now.
Brett Okamoto: Sure, Stipe is the best heavyweight of all time, as of Saturday evening. His objective was all the time to be the best of his period, and there would have been no coming again had he misplaced to Daniel Cormier. That objective would have been useless. However he delivered a efficiency for the ages towards one of many best fighters of all time. Except there’s a trilogy — a state of affairs that appears very unclear to me proper now — I’d say Stipe is the best heavyweight.
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Jeff Wagenheim: When you had requested me this query early within the night of July 7, 2018, I’d have mentioned sure. Miocic had defended the belt extra instances than anybody else, most just lately dominating Francis Ngannou, the scariest KO artist this facet of prime Mike Tyson. Previous to that, he had KO’d a former champion (Andrei Arlovski), the reigning champ (Fabricio Werdum) and his first two challengers (ex-belt holders Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos) — all within the first spherical. However then, on that ill-fated evening final summer time, Miocic went out and bought KO’d within the first spherical, and we needed to sluggish our roll on GOAT discuss.
On Saturday, although, he righted that unsuitable, and he did it in a manner seldom seen from heavyweights. When the massive guys are being overwhelmed to the punch within the early going, it often turns into an early evening. However Stipe persevered via the most effective that Daniel Cormier might dish out, turned the tide in Spherical three and got here out for the fourth with an entire new plan of assault, which he carried out with poise and precision. That is high-level stuff, the form of combating you see from solely the greats.
Or, on this case, the best.
Marc Raimondi: I do not assume there’s any manner round that now. Miocic got here in already holding the UFC document for consecutive heavyweight title defenses at three. Now, he is a two-time champion with a TKO win over Daniel Cormier, among the best fighters ever, on his résumé. If Miocic is not the best heavyweight in UFC historical past, then who’s? Cormier? Cain Velasquez? Miocic has the sting over each, particularly now. At 36 years outdated, Miocic continues to be going robust too.
Stipe Miocic defeated Daniel Cormier by fourth-round TKO to reclaim his heavyweight belt at UFC 241. Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Photographs
If this was it for Daniel Cormier, what’s his legacy within the UFC?
Helwani: One of many best ever. Prime 5. A residing legend. A combating champion. A person who bought knocked down repeatedly and located a option to overcome all of it towards the top of his profession. I’ve the utmost respect for Cormier. He by no means took a shortcut and represented the game with dignity and sophistication. He has nothing left to show to anybody. The Corridor of Fame awaits.
Okamoto: Cormier’s legacy is as one of many best fighters of all time. There ought to all the time be a footnote connected to his profession that he bought in late. Had Cormier began coaching in MMA and transitioned into MMA sooner than he did, I feel there’s a very robust probability that we might name him the most effective of all time. And he nonetheless had an incredible profession. Fifty years from now, we’ll nonetheless be speaking concerning the greatness of Daniel Cormier. This loss has no impact on that.
Wagenheim: Cormier is among the best figures within the sport. As a fighter, he has overwhelmed everybody he has confronted apart from Jon Jones, and there is disgrace in that provided that you could find disgrace in beating everybody in one-on-one hoops besides Michael Jordan. Talking of greats, amongst Cormier’s conquests is the best heavyweight ever to stroll the earth (though Miocic evened the rating on Saturday).
Past combating, DC’s legacy continues to be constructing. He is essentially the most enjoyable among the many cageside analysts (“Thug Rose! Thug Rose!”), and take into account this: The three figures who break down athletes on the Element present are Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning and Cormier. DC isn’t any interloper in that elite firm.
Raimondi: He is one of many prime three MMA fighters who has ever lived. Because it stands now, I put Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre above him, however that is all. Cormier is a former UFC heavyweight and light-weight heavyweight champion. He has misplaced to solely two males, Jones and Miocic. There isn’t any doubting his résumé. Simply as essential is how nice of an envoy he’s for the game. Cormier is an distinctive analyst on ESPN and is a credit score to MMA in each place the UFC places him in outdoors the cage. The very best half is the latter would not have to finish even when he does hold up the gloves.
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Nate Diaz makes a victorious return to the UFC by defeating Anthony Pettis by resolution.
After three years away, was that the Nate Diaz you anticipated to see?
Raimondi: Actually? Completely not. In my thoughts, Diaz was an enormous query after three years away. The final time he had fought was 2016. Ronda Rousey had fought extra just lately than Diaz. After all, we all know what Diaz has all the time delivered to the desk, nevertheless it was unattainable to see a dominating win over Pettis within the playing cards. Pettis is such a gifted striker and did have success at distance, to be honest. Diaz was in a position to grind him out towards the cage, although, and confirmed off some diversified methods in that place. When you instructed me we might see considered one of Diaz’s greatest profession performances right here, I most likely wouldn’t have believed it.
Okamoto: I feel Nate’s correct weight is welterweight. I believed it was all the time going to be very, very tough for him to return to light-weight. I feel on this battle you noticed Nate as an actual snug welterweight. He added power, nevertheless it regarded like he was nonetheless lean. I believed he fought good. He neutralized a really harmful fighter in Anthony Pettis.
Nate’s offense is all the time the very first thing to come back to thoughts as a result of that is what steals the present — the “Stockton Slaps,” the strikes and all of that. However he compelled the kind of battle that simply smothered a man similar to Pettis, who has a couple of billion methods to knock you out. He simply smothered him. It was extraordinarily spectacular. I do not know the place Nate will go. I do not understand how excessive his ceiling is at welterweight, however he legitimized himself as a minimum of a menace in that division proper now.
Helwani: For essentially the most half, sure. I believed Pettis was an excellent matchup for Diaz, and I anticipated him to be in form and motivated for this battle. I used to be a tad stunned he bought drained towards the top of the battle, however that battle was fought at an unimaginable tempo, and each guys bought drained. I believed, total, he fought an incredible battle and regarded actually good. The battle recreation is all the time extra thrilling and attention-grabbing when the Diaz brothers are thriving in it, so on behalf of just about everybody: Welcome again, Nathan Diaz.
Wagenheim: To (partially) quote a well-known orator, I am not stunned. The Diaz recreation shouldn’t be a slave to timing as a lot as it’s to toughness and cardio and smarts — and he did not lose any of these issues throughout his layoff. Early on, Nate was getting clipped repeatedly by Anthony Pettis because the battle was contested at distance, so he confirmed his battle IQ by closing the gap and making it his form of battle. That sounds easy, nevertheless it takes toughness. You are going to be hit coming in, and it takes power to maintain up the relentlessness mandatory to empty your opponent of a combating probability.
The very best transfer of the evening got here after the battle, when Diaz referred to as out Jorge Masvidal. What higher option to forestall one other three-year absence than to guide Nate in a battle that pursuits him (and pursuits Masvidal, the followers and the UFC bean-counters)?
Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa’s back-and-forth brawl immediately grew to become a contender for battle of the yr. Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Photographs
Costa vs. Romero: Talk about.
Okamoto: It was an amazing battle, in fact, and I scored it 29-28 for Paulo Costa. It was a kind of fights that would have gone both manner. I’ve all the time puzzled what would occur if Costa had been unable to only march ahead, taking photographs whereas delivering greater ones. I puzzled what would occur when any person ruined that recreation plan for him.
Even a fighter as large as Yoel Romero could not do it. Costa put him up towards the fence and harm him with photographs, and whereas Romero was efficiently in a position to throw again and again Costa off sometimes, this was nonetheless Costa 101. This was his recreation plan that he succeeded with towards inferior fighters. This time he did it towards among the best middleweights we have seen in years, and it nonetheless labored. Costa is a official No. 1 title contender.
Wagenheim: All of the sudden, I am an enormous fan of fouls. Who would have guessed? Costa’s groin shot on Romero necessitated a pause within the first spherical, giving every man a brief break proper in the midst of a high-energy 5 minutes. Romero’s eye poke on Costa within the third gave the sagging fighters one other breather. It was good for the athletes and particularly good for us, the followers. When the motion resumed, the 2 middleweights sculpted out of granite went at it just like the masterpieces they’re.
Costa wanted a take a look at like this. Positive, he got here in at 12-Zero with the scary distinction of getting scored stoppages in each considered one of his fights. However a hard-fought resolution victory over Romero, No. 2 in ESPN’s 185-pound rankings, is far more spectacular than placing out the lights on Uriah Corridor or a light Johny Hendricks. This win vaults the 28-year-old Brazilian towards the highest of the mountain.
Helwani: Nice battle. The wait was value it. It was a tough battle to attain. I believed Romero gained 29-28, nevertheless it was darn shut. Each guys took some actually arduous photographs and stored on coming. That was most likely the outcome the UFC brass wished deep down as a result of now it units up Costa versus the winner of Whittaker vs. Adesanya. A recent contender is ready within the wings.
Raimondi: Wow. I imply, what are you able to say about this battle? If Jim Ross had been calling it, he would have described it as a slobberknocker. What’s loopy about it’s that we have seen Costa and Romero battle others and put them to sleep with a number of the photographs they had been touchdown Saturday. Costa had by no means been to a choice earlier than in his profession. He had completed everybody, however he could not end Romero. I truly had Romero profitable 29-28, however I can not be too torn up over a detailed battle that was extremely memorable. What a present these males placed on, buying and selling photographs, buying and selling taunts. It was all the pieces you need to see in an MMA scrap.
Cory Sandhagen defeated Raphael Assuncao at UFC 241 and has gained all 5 of his UFC bouts. Joe Scarnici/Getty Photographs
In addition to the highest three fights, who do you assume took the largest step ahead at UFC 241?
Wagenheim: Cory Sandhagen might need generated extra buzz if he had scored a spectacular end. However what he did was even higher than buzz: He confirmed that he belongs among the many bantamweight contenders. For 15 minutes, he calmly picked aside Raphael Assuncao, who’s No. 5 in ESPN’s bantamweight rankings. Sandhagen regarded like he was the veteran within the Octagon when, in reality, he has been within the UFC solely since final yr. It was telling when, in the midst of a battle he was controlling, his coach was requested on the printed whether or not Cory was searching for the end. The reply? “He is by no means searching for the end. He is searching for what the battle brings.”
That’s the kind of teaching, and combating, that can make Sandhangen’s run sustainable. He is 12-1 and a winner of seven straight, however his largest moments are nonetheless forward.
Honorable point out for giant splash of the evening has to go to the winner of the battle proper after Sandhagen-Assuncao. Light-weight Khama Worthy made his UFC debut on 4 days’ discover, as a +650 underdog, and TKO’d former coaching associate Devonte Smith for the largest UFC upset this yr. Love these form of moments.
Helwani: Sodiq Yusuff. He was put in an enormous spot on the principle card for a cause. He has gained 5 fights in a row, together with three in a row within the UFC. He is a rising star and one other fighter from Nigeria doing nicely as of late. I proceed to be impressed by “Tremendous” Sodiq.
Raimondi: Cory Sandhagen is an actual drawback at bantamweight. Raphael Assuncao is never dominated the way in which he was Saturday. Sandhagen is a supremely gifted striker with the innate capacity to change stances, transfer out and in and land exactly. He is virtually an up to date model of Dominick Cruz. The Colorado native would not have a ton of energy, however Sandhagen is tough to hit and is stable in each different space, together with wrestling and grappling.
There are large fights forward for him at 135 kilos. And should you do not imagine my evaluation, go have a look at what his UFC friends had been saying about him on Twitter in the course of the Assuncao. He was extraordinarily spectacular at UFC 241.
Okamoto: The 2 choices come right down to Sandhagen and Yusuff. I believed each had been excellent. I am going with Sandhagen as nicely due to whom he fought. Raphael Assuncao is all the time criminally underrated. He by no means will get the credit score he deserves. It is extraordinarily tough to look good towards him, which Sandhagen mentioned earlier than the battle.
It was a priority of his that Assuncao is rattling close to unattainable to look good towards. And particularly in that first spherical, he regarded good. He is a enjoyable fighter to look at, however extra importantly, his method and elegance are so totally different that he will be a tough matchup for anybody in that division. I feel he needs to be going through somebody who is extremely ranked after this battle. I imagine we are going to see Cory Sandhagen battle for a UFC championship in 2020.