Stipe Miocic is still UFC heavyweight champion after hard fought decision victory over Daniel Cormier.
In the final bout of a heralded trilogy, Miocic used a wide range of tools to wear down his foe and retain his title in the main event of UFC 252 in Las Vegas.
Miocic took the fight with a unanimous decision as the judges scored it 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 in favor of the titleholder.
There was an eye poke that caused Daniel Cormier to lost his vision in his left eye, so he fought literally with one eye for 3 rounds.
“Honestly, DC is a Hall of Famer, one of the best,” Miocic said. “He made me better.”
Cormier’s retirement marked the end of an era, which included simultaneous UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight title reigns and the Strikeforce Grand Prix tournament championship.
The eye poke that Daniel Cormier says caused him to lose vision in his left eye at #UFC252 pic.twitter.com/b6R5DalYoS
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 16, 2020
“I don’t think there’s a title in my future,” Cormier said. “That will be it for me. I’ve had a long run, I just fought for the heavyweight championship. It was a great fight.”
The heavyweight title bout was the UFC 252 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
UFC 252 results:
Stipe Miocic def. Daniel Cormier via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
Marlon Vera def. Sean O’Malley via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 4:40
Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Junior Dos Santos via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:47
Daniel Pineda def. Herbert Burns via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 4:37
Merab Dvalishvili def. John Dodson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Vinc Pichel def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Virna Jandiroba def. Felice Herrig via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:44
Danny Chavez def. TJ Brown via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Livinha Souza def. Ashley Yoder via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Chris Daukaus def. Parker Porter via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:28
Kai Kamaka III def. Tony Kelley via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
