CLEVELAND — UFC heavyweight title contender Stipe Miocic would much rather let his wrestling and striking do the talking in the lead-up to his fights, but he made the occasional exception heading into his rematch with Daniel Cormier, which is scheduled to main-event UFC 241 in Anaheim, California on Saturday, August 17.
In a one-on-one interview with ESPN MMA writer Brett Okamoto earlier this month, Miocic predicted that there will be a different result in the rematch with Cormier than the late first-round knockout loss he suffered at UFC 226 in Las Vegas last July.
“I just look at some of the guys who never defended the belt, and they get a title match, a rematch right away, and he’s telling me I should fight again before I fight him,” Miocic told Okamoto. “I’m like, ‘You’re trying to fight a dude who hasn’t fought in three years, been popped twice for steroids.’
“Listen, it is what it is, but I’m just happy to have the rematch. Now, he’s acting like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be the same result. I’m going to…’ Listen, dude, definitely different result: me getting my hand raised and walking out with the belt around my waist…And New!”
Despite taking a thumb to the left eye on an attempted shove from Cormier early in the bout, Miocic felt he was winning for much of the first round in his fourth defense of the UFC heavyweight championship.
However, out of a clinch, Cormier faked an uppercut, came over the top with a right-handed strike and floored the defending champion. With Miocic on his back, Cormier pounced and landed multiple strikes before the referee called a stop to the contest.
“It was going good, and just he won the lottery,” Miocic said.
The record-holder for the most consecutive successful defenses of the UFC heavyweight championship, Miocic is 18-3-0 in his professional career heading into the Cormier rematch, including a 12-3 mark since joining the preeminent mixed martial arts organization.
Cormier is 22-1 with one no-contest in 24 professional bouts. The one no-contest was originally a knockout loss at the hands of Jon Jones in July of 2017, but a failed test gave the UFC light-heavyweight championship back to Cormier.
The August 17 bout with Cormier will be a chance for Miocic to settle some bad blood between the former and current champions.
In a Twitter rant in February, Cormier called out Miocic for remaining idle while he took a bout against Derrick Lewis to main-event the UFC’s annual early-November trip to Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Earlier that day, Cormier tweeted: “I don’t owe anyone s&*$!”
Cormier’s comments came just over a month after he left open the possibility of giving Miocic a rematch should a potential super-fight with former heavyweight king Brock Lesnar not materialize. Currently, Lesnar is contracted to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and reportedly, the former champion told UFC officials recently that he would remain retired from MMA competition.
“I hate losing, so that right there just motivates me more,” Miocic said.
“I have a chance to get my belt back, and I want that belt. I think it’s just a little bit more than the belt now, too. I want to prove I’m a better fighter, which I know I am. That’s why I wanted the fight. That’s the reason I want the rematch more.”
