UFC 241: Daniel Cormier's 5 greatest UFC fights

#1 vs. Stipe Miocic – UFC 226

Cormier became a double champion - and an all-time great with his knockout of Stipe Miocic

In terms of entertainment value and fight quality, nothing in Daniel Cormier’s career comes close to the Alexander Gustafsson fight – but in terms of his greatest performances, you simply can’t argue against the fight that made him the first man to hold the UFC’s Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight title simultaneously.

The fight in question? His clash with Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 in July 2018.

The two men had essentially cleaned out their respective divisions, making this a rarity – a genuinely justified ‘superfight’ – but for most observers, the advantages lay with Miocic.

He’d defended his Heavyweight title on 3 occasions – a UFC record – and with huge punching power, as well as impressive speed and cardio to go with his tremendous wrestling, it felt like he had a lot of advantages over the smaller Cormier.

As it turned out, none of that mattered when it came to fight time. Not only was Cormier’s chin strong enough to absorb some heavy shots from Miocic, but he also had somewhat of a secret weapon; his skill in the clinch. Every time the two men tied up, Cormier was able to overpower his opponent – and more importantly, he was able to land big shots as they separated.

Eventually, late in the first round, those big shots on the exit paid off. As they broke out of the clinch, Cormier caught Miocic with a clean right hook, sending him crashing down – and moments later he left him unconscious with some follow-up punches, bouncing his head off the canvas.

It was a violent finish and one that stunned the MMA world. Not only had Cormier dethroned Miocic to claim his second UFC title, but he’d also made it look easy. After this fight there could be no doubt – Cormier was one of the best fighters in MMA history, and there’s simply no question to me that of all the great fights in his career, this win was his most impressive.