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UFC 241 - Honda Center - Anaheim, CA

Stipe Miocic +117 over Daniel Cormier

10:15 PM EST. The last time we saw Stipe Miocic in the Octagon, he was flat on the mat after getting knocked down by a right hand from Daniel Cormier. With that quick shot near the end of the first round of their UFC 226 championship fight, Miocic lost not only his title, but the distinction of the greatest heavyweight in the promotion's history after becoming the only man to defend that championship three times. When Cormier pounced on Stipe to finish the fight with some ground ‘n pound, he not only ripped the championship, he arguably took Miocic's legacy as well.

The former champ has taken criticism for sitting out while waiting for this rematch, but honestly, we don't blame him. Miocic had the most successful heavyweight title run in the history of the promotion and it's not like he was dominated by "DC". It was a pretty even fight until the 4:33 mark of round one and Stipe got caught with a great shot, which happens at heavyweight - All. The. Time. Before losing to Cormier, Miocic had been on an incredible six-fight winning streak dating back to a TKO defeat of Mark Hunt in May of 2015 and includes a who's who at heavyweight -- Arlovski, Werdum, Overeem and Junior dos Santos all went down.

Because he's not flashy, a big shit talker, or even a real pay-per-view draw, it's easy to sweep what Miocic accomplished in the Octagon under the rug and hope he goes away, but this is a different dude. Unlike many high-level fighters, Miocic never gave up his day job as a Cleveland city firefighter. Thus, when the pundits question what he's been doing this whole time, well, that, and training his ass off would be the answer. Stipe is the rare fighter that understands his worth and he did bend or break for the UFC when they wanted him to take fights that quite frankly would have cemented him as a "gatekeeper." Do not forget that Stipe has 14 career knockouts and nine first-round finishes. He's a monster and survived the best and the hardest punches that Francis Ngannou could tag him with and was still standing tall at the end. Stipe is the better boxer and his takedown defense is more than adequate to challenge a wrestler of the highest caliber in Cormier.

In the 13 months since becoming the "Champ, Champ," Daniel Cormier has been on a bit of a victory tour to cement his legacy. He's as high profile as a UFC fighter can be, as he's one of the lead color analysts on their PPV and ESPN broadcasts and he's also got a ton of facetime on The World Wide Leader since the promotion inked a lucrative multi-year deal with the network last year. In that short time, "DC" has gone from a fighter that was criminally underrated, mostly because of his doughy exterior and his inability to conquer his biggest rival, Jon Jones, to one of the greats.

Jones presence hangs over this fight and there's already talk about "what's next" for Cormier after he defends his championship tonight. With a win, Jones and Cormier appear to be on a collision course for a third fight and everyone from UFC President Dana White to the talking heads on ESPN are already looking ahead to that potential encounter. Before the renewed interest in another Jon Jones fight, Cormier was basically on a retirement tour and had been waiting for a big money fight and a much easier night with WWE star Brock Lesnar. They even had a face-off and a shoving match in the Octagon after "DC's" title win. That was the perfect fight for Cormier to go out on, as it was the most lucrative option for him. When it appeared that fight was going to go down, Cormier was -275 and that was probably a short line on the "Champ", now, Cormier is a much smaller favorite because this is a much more dangerous fight and it's really one that "DC" didn't need. His legacy is set, as he works for the promotion and is one of its best broadcasters. The narrative on his career is as good as gold in that regard. Aside from a lingering back injury that has only seen him fight once since winning the championship, he has his health. However, as it did for Stipe just over a year ago, it can all go away with one punch and Miocic is more than capable of returning the favor. To recap, Cormier is staring at the end of his athletic career while Miocic has a chip on his shoulder, after waiting one year for a rematch he felt he deserved right away.

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