In his first heavyweight bout since October 2013, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier made history, joining Conor McGregor as the only fighters to simultaneously hold two UFC titles as he scored a stunning first-round knockout over Stipe Miocic at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to take the heavyweight crown.
“I was a heavyweight for a long time and I left the division,” Cormier said. “I never knew what I could become but tonight I got the answer. I’m a two-division champion.”
The Louisiana native is a two-division champion already seeking a bout with former titleholder Brock Lesnar, who stormed into the Octagon after the bout and pushed Cormier.
“Push me now, you go to sleep later,” said Cormier.
In response, Lesnar threw insults at Miocic and heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou before turning his attention to the new champ.
It was a bizarre scene, but not as stunning as the result of the UFC 226 main event.
Cormier landed a hard uppercut in the early going, and he was able to briefly drag Miocic to the mat, but the Cleveland product rose quickly and pinned Cormier to the fence. With two minutes gone, the two broke and Miocic landed some crisp shots before they locked up again. When free, Miocic was continuing to land shots, but Cormier fired back, marking up Miocic’s face. With a little over a minute left, an eye poke by Cormier stopped the action and drew a warning from referee Marc Goddard. Moments later, Cormier, emboldened by his success standing with Miocic, landed with a flush right hand that dropped the Ohioan. Three follow-up shots on the ground put an end to the bout, with Goddard stepping in at 4:33 of the first round.
“I am 39 years old and I’ve been second a lot of times,” said two-time Olympian Cormier. “But tonight, I accomplished everything.”
With the win, Cormier improves to 21-1 with 1 NC. The 35-year-old Miocic, who was making the fourth defense of his title, falls to 18-3.
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