Miocic vs. Cormier: So, You’ve Run Out of Stars…

The biggest news in the MMA world coming out of this weekend was, obviously, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza’s first round TKO victory over Derek Brunson in the main event of UFC on FOX this past Saturday. It took him three minutes longer to get the job done than when they fought in Strikeforce but Jacare proved, without a doubt, that he’s still a force to be reckoned with in the middleweight division. He’s been one of the best at 185 pounds for years and, while he’s been ignored by the UFC in the past despite his success, I’m sure that this time he’ll get all the attention he so rightly deser–

–what’s that? Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier are going to fight? In July? Are you serious?

HOLY RONDA ROUSEY POINTING AT A WRESTLEMANIA SIGN, BATMAN! THAT’S A CRAZY FIGHT!

Yes, of all the random fight bookings that could have been announced, UFC threw us a bit of a curveball by announcing that, not only are UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier going to coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, the show that, for some reason, still exists, they will also fight in the main event of UFC 226 on July 7.

The fight will be contested for Stipe’s heavyweight belt, since I don’t think Stipe wants to lose any limbs to make 205 (he needs all of them to be able to hang up on his wife while in the car) and Cormier would probably appreciate a fight where he doesn’t have to wait until after it’s over to enjoy some Popeye’s.

That’s good on him, especially since they just brought the $5 Big Boxes back.

Seriously, though, this is a bonkers booking. Of all the fights UFC could have announced for these two, both of whom just successfully defended their titles last week at UFC 220, this is the one they decided to go with.

There are two things I’m wondering in the wake of this announcement. The first is what Cain Velasquez, Cormier’s training partner and former UFC Heavyweight Champion attempting to make his own comeback to the belt, really thinks about it. I know he sent out a tweet showing support for his teammate in DC’s randomly sudden quest to become a two division champion but c’mon. I’m supposed to believe he’s happy he’s getting passed over by his teammate, a man who hasn’t competed as a heavyweight in over 4 years?

Then again, the same could almost be said about Cain…

Maybe Cain sees the reality of the situation, that Stipe is in need of a credible challenger and, while Cain is always going to be in the conversation for a title shot, the fact remains it’s closing in on two years since he last fought. I would think this upcoming title fight could have easily been his if he was able to compete more often, if UFC had faith he could make it in and out of a fight camp without needing time off to repair and rehab injuries. Honestly, I hope he didn’t injure himself sending out that Tweet. It takes a lot of dexterity to use an iPhone.

I really wish Cain would get a fight booked soon. I miss making injury jokes at his expense. They are never not hilarious.

The other thing I’m wondering is the more troubling issue: Is this how desperate UFC has gotten for big fights? Random champion vs. champion clashes?

It actually sounds like UFC 226 has the potential to be a night of Champion vs. Champion superfights, as UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson has expressed a willingness to defend against UFC Bantamweight Champion TJ Dillashaw but only if it’s booked for that show. The same thing has been said about UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg defending against UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes.

I guess this is what happens when the leader of combat sports is incapable of creating any new stars and is desperate to book big fights so the owners can find a way to pay back the loans they took out to buy the company.

WME-IMG really thought every month was going to be another Conor McGregor or Ronda Rousey fight, didn’t they. Because I can’t see any other reason to pay $4 billion for a company that is so resistant to the idea of creating new stars beyond the ones who are willing to do all the work for them, although I’m sure they regret how big Conor got, especially if he continues to sit out and not fight, which anyone with half a brain knows he will.

“Undisputed champion,” my ass. Dana, stop toying with Khabib and Tony Ferguson and just make their fight at UFC 223 for the actual belt already. Quit acting like Conor is going to fight again. He’s not. He’s not going to come back for what you’re willing to pay him. You know that so quit playing around and do your job.

At least WWE can benefit from the work UFC did in featuring Ronda (like how UFC benefited from WWE’s work with Brock Lesnar and CM Punk). That’s assuming, of course, she doesn’t fall flat on her face in her first WWE match, get booed out of the building, and get dumped by Vince McMahon in favor of someone else. That’s a man who knows how to make stars once every decade or so.

I get that it’s not always easy to predict who is going to break out and be dominant in a legitimate combat sport but, considering that Stipe is now the most successful heavyweight champion in UFC history (with a record setting THREE consecutive title defenses) and considering Cormier has successfully dispatched of every fighter placed in front of him except the one who holds the record for most stripped championships (Conor may be catching up, though…), it’s safe to assume these are top fighters worth the resources to hype up.

We know that UFC badly wanted Francis Ngannou to defeat Miocic at UFC 220 but, for all the effort they put in promoting the challenger, why didn’t they invest in the champion at all? Why treat the champion of the division as an afterthought? Why treat the champions of so many divisions as afterthoughts to the point that the best they can come up with for fights is to have them all face each other?

At the rate things are going, they may as well just put all the champions in one giant tournament to see who the best is, like something you’d see on a fan message board. My money is on Cyborg beating Robert Whittaker in the finals. Because no one can stop The Cyborg.

No one…

And I get the argument that the fight is good to make because the uppermost men’s divisions are extremely thin right now with no clear challengers ready for either champion, but is that a failing of the available talent pool not being good enough to present a real challenge or is that a failing of the promoter not giving the fans enough reason to want to see these new challengers rise up and get a title opportunity?

It’s both, actually, but I put more of the blame on the UFC because, while I do like the idea of seeing Stipe and Cormier go at it, why does it need to happen when both men are champions of their own divisions? Why promote one division at the expense of another?

This is a big reason why I wasn’t a huge fan of the idea of booking Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva when both were champions, even though that pairing made a lot more sense than booking Stipe, a champion who’s only defended his title three times, vs. Cormier, a man who’s just defended his title after it was given back to him because the fighter who knocked him unconscious last year failed a drug test.

I liked the idea of that superfight, just as I liked matchups such as Anderson vs. Jon Jones, or Jones vs. Velasquez but, if you’re the champion of a weight class, shouldn’t you be defending your title? Otherwise, why are you champion? What purpose would having champions even serve at that point?

What does the UFC have to gain from allowing one of its champions the opportunity to challenge for a title in another weight class? If they lose, it makes them look weak and could potentially hurt the appeal of their next title defense (ex. BJ Penn) and if they win, then you’re stuck with a potential situation where multiple weight classes could be held up (ex. the Conor mess we’re still mucking around in).

Any gains UFC gets from doing this fight are going to be short term. Maybe Stipe vs. Cormier will produce a good Payperview buyrate, although I doubt it does as well as UFC hopes it will, as Stipe isn’t a draw and Cormier only is when he’s fighting Jones. Putting the two of them together is not the answer to creating a blockbuster event, at least not unless UFC puts a lot of effort into advertising and promoting these guys and what they’ve accomplished (or if they add more champions to the card…).

If UFC can’t handle that, then all this cannibalizing of champions is going to lead to nothing and UFC will still be left trying to figure out what to do to maintain the interest of the casual viewer.

Do I like Stipe vs. Cormier as a matchup? Of course I do. It’s a battle of very well rounded fighters who have both proven to be two of the best in the world. Will Stipe’s striking advantage be able to nullify Cormier’s wrestling advantage? I don’t know and I’m very intrigued to find out but I’m excited because I know how good these men are. It matters little to me that both are current champions and, if it matters to anyone else, it’s only because the promoter hasn’t done a good job showing the world how special these fighters are and what a privilege it will be to see them test their skills against each other.

Good on DC, though. I know that, at the UFC 220 press conference, he was against the idea of going back to heavyweight but I’m sure he couldn’t pass up the chance to become the second fighter to hold two titles at the same time. He’d be crazy to say no to that offer. The reward far outweighs the risk, especially when he’s so close to retiring anyway.

Go get that belt, DC. And make that money. Make it so you don’t have to do a future season of Celebrity Big Brother.

I wish both Stipe and Cormier the best of luck. I’ll wish the same to Demetrious, TJ, Cris, and Amanda too if those fights get booked. If those all happen on the same event, UFC 226 could end up being one of the most memorable in UFC history.

I just wonder what’s going to be left the next day. Who will be left to main event the next week or the next month or the next year? When there aren’t any stars left in the sky, it’s going to get really dark out, so dark I’m not sure UFC will be able to find its way back.

At least we won’t forget about you, Jacare. Only 6-8 more wins and that title shot will be yours for sure! Well, interim title shot, once the full champion gets injured and then, instead of defending his belt, spends the better part of a year trying to secure a fight with Mortal Kombat champion Liu Kang before someone reminds him he’s chasing after a payday opposite a video game character, which he then follows up by taking an extended hiatus to go film a movie with The Rock and Kevin Hart. Man, those guys are in everything together.

Dana White will be okay with that, though, since the champ will totally be ready to defend his title within the next 3-5 years. If he waits 6 years, though, then that’s too much. You can’t hold a division hostage like that. You just can’t do it. At least not until the Stockholm Syndrome kicks in.

Remember when this sport could be fun without also being completely aggravating? I wish I could.

Evan Zivin has been writing for 411 MMA since May of 2013. Evan loves the sport, and likes to takes a lighthearted look at the world of MMA in his writing…usually.