UFC 241: Cormier Vs. Miocic 2 Predictions
Can Daniel Cormier defend his heavyweight strap against the man he took it from?
We've got a huge pay-per-view on the way, as UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will look to defend his belt against former champion and arguably the best UFC heavyweight of all time, Stipe Miocic. Ever since Miocic lost the title against Cormier last July, the 36-year old has been campaigning to get another shot at DC so he could try and regain his title.
While Miocic has been pushing for the rematch, Cormier has had his sights set on other opponents. Originally it looked like he would take on former UFC heavyweight champ, Brock Lesnar. However, Lesnar decided instead to stick with WWE. There was also some talk of a trilogy fight with Jon Jones, but he'll face a focused and dangerous Miocic instead. Will he retain his belt or will Stipe shock the world again and become the baddest man on the planet once more?
At UFC 241, we've also got a tantalising welterweight match-up between two UFC legends, as former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis takes on Nate Diaz in his return to the Octagon. These two fan-favourites have a lot of bad blood, which should make the bout an extremely entertaining one for the fans.
There's also an exciting middleweight match-up on the card, with former title challenger Yoel Romero facing heavy-handed prospect Paulo Costa. With Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya fighting in October, this intriguing battle could have serious title implications for the winner.
6. Preliminary Card Preview
We've got a relatively entertaining preliminary card for UFC 241, with several bouts looking extremely exciting on paper. The one that really sticks out is a bantamweight match-up between perennial contender, Raphael Assuncao, and top prospect, Cory Sandhagen.
Assuncao is in what many old school MMA fans refer to as the "Jon Fitch role" - always in and around the top of the weight class, but never quite close enough to get a title shot. The 36-year old Brazilian was on a four-fight win streak, before Marlon Moraes guillotined him and scuppered his latest shot at the 135lb belt.
He now faces a big challenge in Cory Sandhagen - and yes, that was a play on words. At 5'11", Sandhagen is an absolute giant compared to other bantamweights, other than the equally lanky Sean O'Malley. Sandhagen is a very good boxer, who uses his reach extremely well and transitions between striking and grappling in a super smooth way. It would be a huge statement for him if he can take out Assuncao and it would add another title challenger into the mix.
We've also an extremely exciting bantamweight bout between 25-year old grappling sensation Manny Bermudez, who takes on another prospect in Casey Kenny. Bermudez has looked absolutely fantastic since he made his UFC debut last February. The 25-year old from Boston has finished all of his opponents in the UFC with slick submissions, so he's definitely one to watch out for.
He'll have a tough task in Kenny, who beat a very talented Ray Borg in his debut. This will be an exciting battle between two top 135lb prospects.