Can Daniel Cormier Outwrestle Stipe Miocic for Five Rounds?

Daniel Cormier takes on the heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic for the third time in the main event of UFC 252. The legacies of both fighters will be on the line when they square up against each other for one last time.

Both Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic are two of the best heavyweights this sport has ever seen. However, most of the fans are leaning towards Daniel Cormier to get the job done in the trilogy because he is a superior wrestler.

Daniel Cormier knocked out Stipe Miocic in the first round on the first encounter. We did not get to see a lot of wrestling in that match. However, in the rematch, we did see DC dominating Miocic in the wrestling department early in the fight.

Daniel Cormier has already announced his gameplan for the long-awaited trilogy. Cormier has warned the heavyweight champion that he will have to defend a lot more takedowns in the third encounter. Now we have seen DC mauling opponents in the light heavyweight division on multiple occasions.

He is truly one of the best wrestlers UFC has ever seen and his accomplishments in wrestling speak for itself. But fans are criminally underestimating what Stipe Miocic brings to the table.

UFC 241 Cormier v Miocic 2

Daniel Cormier is the superior wrestler in this fight. However, taking down Stipe Miocic and keeping him there for the rest of the rounds is not going to be easy for Daniel Cormier. And if DC decides to outwrestle Miocic for the majority of the fight then can he keep up the fast pace for the entire 5 rounds at heavyweight?

Did Daniel Cormier win all the wrestling exchanges?

In the rematch, Daniel Cormier did pick up Stipe Miocic and slammed him on the ground. That was a huge takedown for Cormier. However, Cormier did not really do much damage on the ground. DC got the half guard and landed some good strikes, but at no point in that exchange, Miocic looked in trouble.

Stipe Miocic kept scrambling and eventually got back up. It's also vital to mention that Miocic was trying to be offensive off his back by throwing a few elbows. And that was the only takedown Cormier was able to secure in the entire fight.

Stipe Miocic is way better conditioned as a heavyweight than Daniel Cormier. The first two rounds were full of high paced action. And we saw Daniel Cormier slowing down as the round progressed. However, Stipe Miocic was finding his rhythm in the later rounds. He looked way better in the third and fourth round than he did in the first two rounds. Miocic even landed a takedown of his own and got DC in a clinch.

UFC 241 Cormier v Miocic 2

Daniel Cormier might be the best wrestler in the heavyweight division right now. However, Miocic's wrestling is no joke. And he has better cardio than Daniel Cormier at the heavyweight division.

Daniel Cormier might get a few takedowns in the early rounds. However, he will find it difficult to get Miocic down as the fight progresses. He might even get tired if he wrestles too much in the first few rounds.

It's understandable why Daniel Cormier wants to follow a wrestling heavy gameplan. However, Cormier will need to mix things up until the fight lasts if he is to win against Stipe Miocic.