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#4 UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier
The UFC’s July show has historically been one of the biggest of the year – remember UFC 148 in 2012, for instance, or UFC 189 in 2015? – and 2018 was no different, as UFC 226 saw the first fight in promotional history between the reigning Light-Heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier, and the Heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic.
The show did lose its co-main event late on, Max Holloway being forced to withdraw from his planned Featherweight title defense against Brian Ortega, but it didn’t affect what was already a packed card too much. And if the show looked good on paper, it delivered hugely in execution.
The opener saw a violent upset finish, as Khalil Rountree knocked out notable kickboxer Gokhan Saki in the first round. Next, Anthony Pettis returned to the kind of form that once made him the most exciting fighter in the entire sport, as he overcame the challenge of Michael Chiesa and submitted him in the second round. And the late addition to the main card – Paul Felder vs. Mike Perry – also turned into a fun scrap.
Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis – a highly-anticipated co-main event – turned out to be a stinker which means this show doesn’t crack the top 3, but thankfully the crowd were reinvigorated when Cormier knocked out Miocic in the first round of a wild fight, and went onto an even crazier confrontation with Brock Lesnar in a post-fight scene. This was a truly memorable show.
