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What's the story?
Stipe Miocic will defend his Heavyweight title against Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier in a superfight at UFC 226 on July 7th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Lightweight contenders Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier will face off at UFC Fight Night Glendale on April 14th. That card will also feature former Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit taking on top contender Matt Brown.
In case you didn't know...
At UFC 220, Stipe Miocic created history with his third Heavyweight title defence, the most in the organisation's history.
Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier also defended his belt for the third time in the co-main event at UFC 220, stopping Volkan Oezdimir in the second round by TKO.
Justin Gaethje tasted defeat for the first time in his career when he was TKO'd by Eddie Alvarez in a barnburner at UFC 218. Dustin Poirier's tilt with the former UFC Lightweight champion at UFC 211 promised to be a fight for the ages as well, until Alvarez landed an illegal knee, resulting in a no contest.
Carlos Condit's comeback at UFC 219 didn't go as well as he would have liked, with Demian Maia dominating him en route to a UD win. In what was announced as his retirement fight, Matt Brown vaporized veteran Diego Sanchez with a nuclear elbow at UFC Fight Night 120.
The heart of the matter
In the absence of worthy challengers and the UFC's new owners urgency to make a quick return on investment, the superfight isn't really a bolt from the blue. DC is no stranger to Heavyweight, having won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2012.
Miocic is an underappreciated and exemplary champion, who's beaten all his challengers emphatically. But the only real question we had of him is how he'd fare against the suffocating pace of Cain Velasquez, a trait the former champ shares with his teammate, Cormier.
Gaethje vs Poirier is a potential Fight of the Year candidate and both of them have a lot on the line. No doubt Gaethje put on a great show against Alvarez, but his daredevil style led to his first loss. There will be a few rumblings about whether Gaethje will end up like many before him, a hype train that derailed when it reached the UFC.
Since moving up to Lightweight, Poirier has been dominant, winning 6 of 8. He is #8 in the 155-lbs rankings and a couple of more wins could elevate him to the title picture.
Carlos Condit has lost 6 of his last 8 fights but still has brand value in the UFC, which might be the only reason Matt Brown postponed his retirement. Though well past their prime, their technical striking and ground skills complement each other, and at this point, it's more a question of motivation.
What's next?
With a huge cloud of uncertainty over Cain Velasquez's return, a win for Stipe against Daniel Cormier could cement his place as the greatest Heavyweight in UFC history. Cormier has said that he has a big physical disadvantage at HW, but his unforgiving pace has cut many a man down to size. And bear in mind, Cormier will not be exhausted by a weight cut this time. At this juncture, it's wiser to keep eyes trained on this epic contest rather than look beyond it.
Justin Gaethje needs to make some revisions to his style if he wants to stay relevant in the UFC. It is highly unlikely that his place in the organization will be in jeopardy if he loses this fight, his own ambition will take a bigger hit if he does.
His loss to a fading Michael Johnson notwithstanding, Poirier looks capable of anything at Lightweight. If he beats Gaethje convincingly, he could make a case for the title.
Condit and Brown don't have a strong tailwind so at first glance, this fight doesn't look like it could lead to anything. But their fighting styles and history tell us different - who knows what could happen if these old warhorses decide to throw strategy out the window and slug it out?
Author's take
All MMA fans will be wide-eyed, to say the least, at the prospect of these fights. Cormier, the epitome of a competitor, could become just the 2nd man in UFC history to hold 2 belts simultaneously. Miocic has underscored that nobody's taking the belt from him. This is a historic announcement, now to wait and watch if it will turn out to be a historic fight.
The popcorn will be in full flow for Gaethje vs Poirier and so will Joe Rogan's voice. Nothing can be taken away from either man, so may the better fighter win.
It's saddening to see that Carlos Condit become a shell of his former self, but hopefully a scrapper like Matt Brown will reignite the fire that's dimmed.
