Two Champions Defended Their Titles At UFC 220… If Dana White Has His Way They Will Fight For The Heavyweight Title Later This Year…
Two title fights took place on Saturday night at UFC 220 and the results could set up a super fight of gigantic proportions. UFC President Dana White was practically licking his lips at the prospect, when he was questioned by reporters in the post-fight press conference.
Stipe Miocic defended his belt for a third straight time against the heavily-touted Francis Ngannou, setting a record for the most title defences ever in the Heavyweight Division. Meanwhile, Daniel Cormier proved once and for all that, barring the return of a certain Mr Jones, he is the King of the Light Heavyweight Division.
Now it seems like White wants the two champions to face off in a supersized, super fight. While the prospect is certainly exciting, neither Miocic nor Cormier appear enthusiastic about the idea at this point.
A Fun Fight
You could almost see the cogs turning and the lightbulbs begin to flash in White’s head. He spoke to Fox Sports 1, after the main event at Boston’s TD Garden.
“I was just talking to [Cormier] “I don’t see why he couldn’t fight at heavyweight. If he thinks that Cain might come back, then if he won the belt, he could give it up. But either way, it’s a good fight. With all the defences he has, Stipe just broke the record for most defences, so it’s a fun fight. I think that’s a fight people would like to see.”
Cormier has previous at heavyweight. When he first signed for the UFC he defeated both Frank Mir and Roy Nelson, before dropping down a division to light-heavyweight. He also won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, so he certainly has the pedigree for the weight class.
Keep Your Friends Close
However, Cormier’s postfight comments seemed to signal that a heavyweight return is unlikely. His namechecked his friend and teammate Cain Velasquez:
“I haven’t really thought about it. It’s hard for me now, because Cain’s in the gym more. Cain’s in the gym now getting back, preparing to do what he does best. If he’s getting prepared to get that belt back, then I have nothing for that division. That’ll never change.”
Velasquez, a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, appears to be working towards a return later this year. If so he would immediately be right up there as a contender in a notoriously shallow division.
Family First
Similarly Miocic warned against any speculations. He announced that his wife was having a baby, suggesting that he would be putting his family first for a while.
“Right now, I don’t care,” said Miocic. “I just got done with fighting 45 minutes or one hour ago, whatever it was. 25 hard minutes with a tough dude. I don’t really care what’s going on right now.”
After taking on the ferocious Ngannou, and sporting a baseball-sized purple lump on his forehead, it’s fair to say Miocic is looking forward to his rest.
Sorry Dana
Unfortunately for Dana White it looks like this fight isn’t going to happen. After the UFC heavily backed Francis Ngannou in the lead-up to this fight, you can guarantee Miocic isn’t going to do them any favours anytime soon.
It will be very interesting to see what is next for both of these men. Alexander Gustafsson could be next in contention for Cormier, as there really is no other light-heavyweight who jumps out at the moment. Miocic might want to start thinking about Brock Lesner. He has been namechecked for a comeback this year by White. It’s another case of wait and see.
