FIRST, we saw one of the most boring fights in UFC history.
The, Daniel Cormier made history of his own. And, that’s all before Brock Lesnar joined the party.
That’s right, after Cormier’s impressive first round knockout of Stipe Miocic — gifting him the Heavyweight title — he decided to call out Lesnar, who recently made his return to the WWE.
“Listen to DC,” Cormier told the crowd, after his win at UFC 226.
“There’s a guy that I’ve known for a long time. He’s a wrestler. He’s an All-American. He’s a former UFC Champion. I never thought I would fight him, but Brock Lesnar, get your a** in here.”
DC calls out Brock Lesnar 1:11
DC stuns Miocic with epic KO! 1:27
Cormier was riding a confidence high, after an unlikely knockout of Miocic, with the 39-year-old the first person in UFC history with possession of both the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight titles.
So, after a post-fight spectacle that began with Cormier yelling, “I’m a two-division champion, baby”, it took Lesnar storming the octagon to quickly change the narrative.
Lesnar pushed a title-laden Cormier, before speaking to the crowd, himself.
“Let me tell you something,” Lesnar said. “I walked into this building and watched a heavyweight disaster from the beginning. Ngannou’s a piece of s***. Miocic, the piece of sh***. DC, I’m coming for you, motherf*****”
Rountree shocks world with KO 0:52
Costa topples Hall with TKO 1:07
T-Mobile Arena erupted in a chorus of both cheers and boos, and it seems as though we have our next heavyweight battle.
LEWIS DEFEATS NGANNOU IN ‘ONE OF THE WORST HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHTS I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE’
The ending to the evening was a somewhat welcome change from what we saw in the co-main event, with some relatively strong words coming from Joe Rogan, regarding the fight between Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis.
Ngannou and Lewis entered UFC 226 as two of the most feared heavyweights in the sport, but left the card having just completed the most uneventful fights in history.
View results from the entire card below!
Worst ever heavyweight fight 1:21
Both fighters are known for their knockout power, but the cautiousness of both men led to a fight where there was very little engagement; both heavyweights on their back foot.
Derrick came away with the win via unanimous decision, but the blame was placed on both fighters for such an actionless bout.
Ngannou threw a total of 46 strikes, connecting on 11, while Lewis threw just 54, connecting on 20. To put that in perspective, Daniel Cormier — known for his ground game — threw 45 strikes in less than one round, in his victory over Miocic.
Naturally, the wider sports community wasn’t impressed with the co
Let Brock slap Ngannou around right now. I demand satisfaction! — Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) July 8, 2018
The best blow in the co-main event comes from @joerogan “he doesn’t need a trainer, he needs a sports psychologist.” #UFC226 #Lewis wins the decision over #Ngannou in a fight where I burned more calories than both fighters combined by getting up & going to the bathroom. https://t.co/gu9X7NDZVa — Dan Hill (@hillimpact) July 8, 2018
I agree with Rogan. That was the worst heavyweight fight I have ever seen. Ngannou looked scared to throw or take a punch. This guy was a beast for the last two years. — Jonathan Coachman (@TheCoachrules) July 8, 2018
That sucked. We can all agree on that. I want to hear from Francis Ngannou. What happened? Pretty clear Derrick Lewis' back hurt, but what happened to Ngannou. That division is better with scary Ngannou. I hope he's not gone. — Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 8, 2018
Lewis over Ngannou one of worst @ufc “fights” I’ve ever watched. Embarrassing. Turrible. — Dennis Manoloff (@dmansworld474) July 8, 2018
Stock majorly down for both Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis.
There's no way of sugar coating this one. That was absolute garbage. — Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) July 8, 2018
Francis Ngannou vs Derrick Lewis was so bad that the commentators were saying go on fight pass to watch them actually fight. #UFC226 — emiliosparks (@emiliosparks) July 8, 2018
UFC 226: Miocic v Cormier 3:24
FULL CARD
Main Card
Daniel Cormier (new champion) def Stipe Miocic - via KO
Derrick Lewis def. Francis Ngannou - via decision
Mike Perry def. Paul Felder - via split decision
Anthony Pettis def. Michael Chiesa - via 2nd round submission
Khalil Rountree Jr. def. Gokhan Saki - via 1st round KO
Prelims
Paulo Costa def. Uriah Hall - via 2nd round KO
Raphael Assuncao def. Rob Font - via decision
Drakkar Klose def. Lando Vannata - via decision
Curtis Millender def. Max Griffin - via decision
Early Prelims
Dan Hooker def. Gilbert Burns - via 1st round KO
Emily Whitmire def. Jamie Moyle - via decision
*For UFC heavyweight championship
*For UFC featherweight championship
RE-LIVE (if you can’t see the blog; click here!)
Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC 226 goes down in Las Vegas.
The main event is a superfight, with heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic putting his belt on the line against light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
The co-main was supposed to be a featherweight title fight, but will now feature fellow heavyweights with Francis Ngannou facing off with Derrick Lewis.
This post will cover the main card. The show will kick off with two Fight Pass fights starting at 7pm ET. Then things will move to FS1 for the televised prelims for four more fights starting at 8pm ET. Then we will cover the main card, which kicks off at 10pm ET. The prelims are covered on a separate post.
Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on the each matchup.
Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier
Round 1 - Miocic walking DC down. Overhand right. Cormier trying to clinch but can’t. Cormier with an outside leg kick, Miocic with an inside leg kick. Cormier with a looping punch that lands. They get into a grappling situation. Miocic lands a couple of punches on a prone DC. Knee from Stipe in the clinch. Another knee as they separate. Cormier with a right. Miocic with a jab. Miocic pushes him back and lands a knee. Left jab and a leg kick from Cormier. Left lead elbow from Stipe. Cormier fires back. They’re going now! Inside leg kick and an...eyepoke from Cormier. Miocic doesn’t need much time though. Miocic with a right. They trade in the middle. Cormier drops Miocic in close with a right hook right on the chin! MIOCIC IS DOWN! DC lights him up on the ground! WE HAVE A NEW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!
Daniel Cormier defeated Stipe Miocic via KO (punches), 4:33 of round 1
Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis
Round 1 - Long feel out stage to start. Lewis misses with a head kick. Ngannou keeps switching to southpaw but he’s not throwing anything. Lewis with a head kick again and it lands. A switch kick now! Blocked though. Ngannou hasn’t thrown a strike and we’re halfway through the round. The fans are razzing them. Body kick from Lewis and he tries to clinch. Ngannou just throws him off. Finally a weak body jab from Ngannou. He’s walking Lewis down but is not throwing a damn thing. Lewis with another switch kick. Total nothing round. 10-9 Lewis.
Round 2 - Lewis is feinting. Ngannou is reacting but not firing. This is ridiculous so far. Now Ngannou is feinting. I wish I had more to type here but there is literally nothing happening over the first three minutes. They’re staring at each other and feinting. It’s almost a spectacle in itself because it’s so strange. Herb Dean is actually warning them for timidity. That’s how bad this is. Ngannou finally lands a jab. Lewis with a body kick. Another jab from Ngannou that cuts Lewis slightly. Body kick from Lewis. This is truly awful. 10-9 Lewis.
Round 3 - Guess what’s happening? If you guessed nothing, you’d be correct. Lewis with a head kick that got blocked. Ngannou is straight not fighting, and Lewis isn’t sure what to do. Lewis with a leg kick. Lewis actually cracks Ngannou with a left. That’s the first flush punch of the fight. 13 minutes in. Seriously. Ngannou with a short left. Now Lewis is sort of begging off. He lands a body kick. Ngannou with a left. He’s actually fighting now! Sort of. Lewis with a leg kick. Another body kick from Lewis. Ngannou with a takedown and a strike after the horn. I’m sorry to those of you reading this. I’m sorrier that I had to watch that. 10-9 and 30-27 Lewis.
Derrick Lewis defeated Francis Ngannou via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Paul Felder vs. Mike Perry
Round 1 - They clashed heads right away and Felder is bleeding. Perry got cut off of it too. Never seen that before. Perry lands a hard elbow and then some body shots in the clinch. They separate. Felder with a hard overhand lead right. Perry whiffs on a big punch but lands an elbow. Perry with a counter right. They’re throwing. Perry spins. He lands hard to the body. Felder spins now. Good round. 10-9 Perry.
Round 2 - Felder clinches. Perry scoops him up - way up - and slams him to the floor. Felder gets up but eats a big elbow in the clinch. They separate. They stand and trade in the middle for a while, with neither gaining an advantage. Perry lands a big peft hook that opens a HUGE cut above Felder’s right eye. The fight is immediately stopped so the doc can check it, but he deems it good to go. Perry presses and slams Felder to the mat. There’s a looot of blood. Felder pops up and Perry clubs him with shots. Felder is game, and they trade elbows. 10-9 Perry.
Round 3 - Perry with a lead left that backs Felder off. Felder is spinning with an apparently injured arm. Perry with an uppercut. Felder with a body shot. Perry goes to the body. Nice step-in knee from Felder. Body kick from Felder. The entire right side of Felder is coated with blood. Perry with a front kick. Felder with a spinning high kick but it’s blocked. Body shots for both. Perry is in on a double. He switches to a single but can’t get it. He holds on though, and lands some knees to the butt from behind. Nasty knees to the thigh area. Felder spins out and they re-engage in the middle. They throw down till the horn. 10-9 and 30-27 Perry.
Mike Perry defeated Paul Felder via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Michael Chiesa vs. Anthony Pettis
Round 1 - Pettis with a quick left. Chiesa catches a kick and puts Pettis on his back. Chiesa looks for an arm and Pettis scrambles back to his feet. He stuffs an immediate shot. Chiesa perseveres and gets Pettis ack down though. Pettis lands a shot on the way up and Chiesa winces. Chopping leg kick from Pettis. Another. Naked straight right from Pettis lands. Chiesa ends up on his bac and Pettis lands a shot. He gets up quickly. Pettis just misses with a spin kick. Chiesa went down at the end of the round but it was just a tangling of feet. 10-9 Chiesa.
Round 2 - Pettis lands a hard right and jumps in with a knee and Chiesa goes down! I’m not sure if it caught him or what. Pettis falls back for a guillotine but Chiesa pops out. He adjusts outside to a triangle and snatches an arm! He has an armbar dead to rights and Chiesa had to tap! WOW!
Anthony Pettis defeated Michael Chiesa via submission (armbar), :52 of round 2
Gokhan Saki vs. Khalil Rountree
Round 1 - Saki lands kicks to the body leg and body. Rountee is circling away. Rountree with a straight left and Saki is down! He unloads with massive GnP and this is over. Rountree beat a world champion kickboxer on the feet!
Khalil Rountree defeated Gokhan Saki via KO (strikes), 1:36 of round 1
UFC 226 is here and boy have we got a fantastic card on our hands.
A super fight headlines this event with Stipe Miocic defending his heavyweight strap against light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. The card lost an amazing featherweight title fight in Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega, but that didn’t ruin it.
UFC 226 features many other must-see match ups, as power punchers Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis collide in a heavyweight contest, former UFC champ Anthony Pettis takes on fellow veteran Michael Chiesa, top prospect Paulo Costa battles Uriah Hall, Paul Felder moves up a weight class to take on fan favorite fighter Mike Perry, and so much more.
What: UFC 226
Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
When: Saturday, July 7. The two-fight UFC Fight Pass preliminary card begins at 7:00 p.m. ET, the four-fight FOX Sports 1 preliminary card begins at 8:00 p.m. ET, and the five-fight main card begins at 10:00 p.m. on pay-per-view.
Man, I’m really excited for this one. Stipe Miocic, the UFC heavyweight champion, will be defending his title in hopes of becoming arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time, while stopping Daniel Cormier from becoming one of the few fighters to hold two UFC titles in different divisions.
Miocic is a precise and technical striker that also packs a good amount of power behind his strikes. He is one of the better athletes at heavyweight, as he’s very agile, quick and possesses a deep gas tank. Miocic is also a skilled wrestler, capable of stopping high level takedowns, and capable of scoring his own too.
Cormier is not as dangerous on the feet as Miocic, but he can be effective with his striking and he’s proved to have knockout power. His biggest asset is his wrestling. The UFC light heavyweight champion is great on the clinch and has phenomenal trips. He also has good ground-and-pound and solid top control.
This one seems to be a tough pick for many, but I feel fairly confident that Miocic will pull this one off. There is no doubt that Cormier is the better wrestler, but Miocic will have a big size advantage that should help him in the clinch. Miocic also has a good gas tank, maybe not on Cain Velasquez’s level, but good enough to avoid getting completely worn out by Cormier’s pressure. On the feet, Miocic has the advantage, as he hits harder and I find him to be more technical. I think Miocic should be able to stuff Cormier’s takedowns while landing the more significant shots of the fight.
Pick: Miocic
This fight is not nearly as meaningful as the headlining bout, but Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis offers an appeal that Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier doesn’t.
Francis Ngannou is a berserker with frighting knockout power. He is a solid boxer and a gifted athlete. Ngannou is explosive and powerful, but that comes at a price – his cardio is not the best. Regardless, Ngannou is a massive threat to anyone at heavyweight.
Derrick Lewis is also a big heavyweight with plenty of knockout power. He might not be on the same level as Ngannou when it comes to raw strength, but he’s not too far from it. To me, Lewis seems a bit more technical and more experienced than Ngannou. But will that be enough to get past Ngannou’s freakish power?
Maybe, but likely not. Lewis is not a fast heavyweight and not one that moves too well either. I don’t think there is a man alive that can take a clean shot from Ngannou and still be standing. If you want to get a win over the Cameroonian, you’ll have to move a lot or hope that you can first and clean. I don’t think Lewis has the movement to avoid Ngannou’s punches and I don’t think he’ll land first either. Anything goes between these two, but I like Ngannou’s chances.
Pick: Ngannou
Paul Felder vs. Mike Perry
This is a fun booking that promises a lot of action. Yet, I’m not fully in favor of this fight.
Mike Perry is a freak athlete that’s young and shows a lot of potential. He’s also a great personality outside of the cage so there is a lot of upside to this welterweight prospect. Perry is currently on a two-fight skid and in need of a tune up fight to get some momentum going. Paul Felder, although a lightweight, is far from a tune-up fight.
Felder is experienced. He has very technical Muay Thai and good grappling awareness. He is also quick, carries good power, and has shown finishing ability. Meanwhile, Perry is extremely durable and hits hard. He has solid striking technique, but he’s not as polished as Felder. On the ground, both fighters are equally skilled.
So will Perry’s youth, athleticism, and power top Felder’s superior technique and experience? I think it’s possible, but not likely. I find Felder to be too seasoned and too skilled on the feet to lose a stand-up battle against Perry. “Platinum” has been training under Jackson-Wink, and I do wonder how much he’s improved. My guess is a lot, but not enough to beat Felder.
Pick: Felder
This should be a good one.
Michael Chiesa is big for the division, long, rangy and complete. He can strike with high-level strikers and he can grapple with skilled ground technicians. Chiesa doesn’t really have any big holes in his game. It’s worth noting that Chiesa possesses a high work rate, which is something Pettis has experienced issues with in recent times.
Pettis might be on a rough streak, but the man has to be taken seriously. Pettis is quick, explosive and very technical on the feet. His wrestling defense has been suspect in recent times, but he still remains a fairly dangerous fighter on the ground, as Pettis can threaten from off his back.
I find this fight to be a favorable match up for Chiesa. I see Chiesa dictating the pace and going after Pettis. The former champ will have his moments in the fight, but I don’t see him stopping Chiesa and I don’t like the odds of him winning a decision.
Pick: Chiesa
We got a striker vs. striker match up to kick off the main card of UFC 226. Fun.
Gokhan Saki is likely the most experienced light heavyweight striker in the world. Saki is a legend in the world of kickboxing. He’s managed to translate some of his kickboxing skills to MMA, but I don’t think he’s been able to fully adapt his standup to MMA, at least not yet. Regardless, Saki remains a dangerous and feared striker that can knockout anyone out at any given time.
Khalil Rountree Jr. has had some promising performances in the UFC, but he’s also had some disappointing ones too. Rountree is not great on the ground, but on the feet he’s competent. He’s quick, hits very hard, and possesses solid technique. Neither Rountree or Saki have great takedown defenses, but that will likely not be needed here.
I think Saki will come out on top here. He’s simply a better striker than Rountree and he also has the better gas tank. Saki scores his second UFC win here.
Pick: Saki
Undercard:
Paulo Costa def. Uriah Hall
Raphael Assuncao def. Rob Font
Curtis Millender def. Max Griffin
Lando Vannata def. Drakkar Klose
Dan Hooker def. Gilbert Burns
Jamie Moyle def. Emily Whitmire
This is the UFC 226 live blog for Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier, a heavyweight championship bout at Saturday night’s UFC event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Miocic, who is looking to extend his UFC record streak of three consecutive heavyweight title defenses, fights Cormier, the UFC’s reigning light heavyweight champion, in the main event.
Check out the UFC 226 live blog below.
Round 1: Marc Goddard is the referee for this main event. Miocic strikes first with a quick combo, Cormier looking to clinch up, but Miocic won’t allow it. Short punch inside by Cormier. They grapple and it’s Miocic who almost drags Cormier down, but the smaller man is able to get up with his back against the cage. Miocic pressing Cormier against the cage, throwing knees to the thigh. They break apart. Straight jab lands for D.C. Miocic with the right hand now. Back to the clinch, they battle for underhooks then separate again. Short punch by Miocic lands. Leg kick scores for Cormier, then a jab. Miocic coming over the top with punches, Cormier answers back with straight shots. Both fighters connecting now. Inside leg kick, but Cormier’s follow-up sees him accidentally poking Miocic’s eye. Goddard warns Cormier about keeping his hands closed. Cormier with the switch kick to the body. Miocic answers with a leg kick. 1-2 lands for Cormier. He breaks a clinch attempt by Miocic and lands an elbow right on the jaw, Miocic goes down! Cormier is on him with ground-and-pound and this one is over!
Official result: Daniel Cormier def. Stipe Miocic via KO (elbow and punches) at 4:33 of Round 1
