When it comes to Saturday’s heavyweight title fight headlining UFC 309 — one of the most anticipated bouts in the division’s history — no one knows more about what’s locked in the Octagon with Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic than former two-time UFC champion Daniel Cormier.
No fighter has spent more time in the cage with Jones, the champion, than Cormier — 38 minutes, 1 second — over two fights. And DC also knows what it’s like to be in the cage with Miocic, a former title holder, because he only shared a trilogy in the history of the UFC heavyweight division from 2018 to 2020.
Cormier brought out the best in Jones, and the worst, as the fight went beyond the Octagon. At a 2014 news conference to hype their first meeting, Jones and Cormier brawled in the lobby of the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas. He also engaged in a heated verbal battle while off the air during an appearance on “SportsCenter.” All of this — plus fighting — provides MMA with one of its most famous rivalries. Cormier lost his first fight against Jones via unanimous decision in January 2015, and a July 2017 rematch ended in a knockout of Jones but, after Jones tested positive for a banned substance, there was no contest.
In his trilogy with Miocic, Cormier won the first fight in July 2018 with a stunning first-round knockout, adding the heavyweight championship to the light heavyweight title he already holds. Miocic got his revenge in a rematch, defeating Cormier by fourth-round knockout in August 2019. He beat Cormier by unanimous decision in his last fight a year later.
“They say your opponent picks you up,” Cormier told ESPN. “These guys raised me. I owe them a lot (and) I hope I make them prepare better to make sure they fight like that.”
With a wealth of experience against two of the best fighters in the sport, Cormier is well-positioned to take down the match and challenge. How will Jones look against the bigger heavyweights when he faces a lengthy layoff due to a torn pectoral tendon? How did Miocic leave after 3½ years away from the sport?
Cormier met with UFC broadcaster Jon Anik to highlight three factors that could have contributed to the result and also spoke with ESPN’s Dre Waters to expand on his thoughts.
Editor’s note: The conversation between Cormier and Anik can be found on ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel.
So versatile on the feet
Jones is arguably the best fighter in MMA history. Being skilled in all three facets of the game (striking, wrestling, grappling), Jones fights with an independence in the Octagon that we rarely see. He can throw everything from flying knees to rolling elbows because he knows he will be comfortable wherever creative attacks can take the fight.
Jones’ range of shots is also key to his ability to read what opponents are doing. “Jones has a nasty body kick (and) uses it to set up a head kick because (his opponent’s) elbow starts to tuck,” Cormier said, thinking back to his first fight with Jones. “You start to worry about the kick for the body, then he drives up top.”
To counter Jones’ varied arsenal, Miocic will have to use his boxing style to constantly pressure Jones and dictate the distance he will go.
“Miocic won’t have the height disadvantage like when I faced Jones,” said Cormier, who is 5 feet 11 – 5 inches shorter than both Miocic and Jones. “I can’t touch Jones until I’m very close to him. Miocic is bigger, so he’ll be able to start early.
Miocic should be within striking distance of Jones. He was able to hit Jones before he was in range of (Jones’) knee to the body, while still in range of Jones’ head and body kicks.
According to Cormier, if Miocic is in that range, he should mix up his punches and combinations to set up his left hook.
“When facing a southpaw (as an orthodox fighter), your lead hand becomes secondary,” Cormier said. “Miocic needs to be able to shift up and lead with the backhand and then mix in the jab to create an opening for the lead hook.”
Miocic should also alternate between targeting Jones’ head and body, Cormier believes, because the former heavyweight champion is one of the few fighters who has “real power” in his body punches. That power can affect Jones.
“If (Miocic) is going to go down one road to victory, it’s not going to work,” Cormier said. “They have to give (Jones) a lot of information to process.”
Pay attention to the clinch
Cormier believes that grappling exchanges — on the feet, not necessarily on the mat — could be the key to a fighter being lifted. For Jones, who quickly disposed of Cyril Gane in March 2023 to claim the title in his first heavyweight fight, this will be his first true test against a fighter who knows how to apply his size and strength to an opponent. Gane comes from a kickboxing background, while Miocic has experience as a wrestler.
“At close range, (Miocic) will be able to wear down Jones,” Cormier said. “(We’ve seen) big men give Jon Jones problems. A lot of the best weapons are in range.”
But Miocic also needs to be careful in the clinch. In Cormier’s first fight against Miocic, Cormier found an opening that he capitalized on during a grappling exchange. He believes Jones could be successful in the same case on Saturday.
“As Stipe and I would come together, I found a lot of success landing punches whenever he would come out (clinch),” Cormier said. “Because when he comes out, he tends to leave his left hand down. And he allows the clinch position to play itself.”
One of those exchanges resulted in Cormier getting a knockout.
“When I was going to redig the underhook … he tried to control my overhand … but (I) wrapped the punch in (Miocic’s) straight arm. That’s what Stipe Miocic couldn’t do in this fight with Jon. Jones, because when Jones could don’t get a blow that can break him that way, there are all kinds of weapons you can use – elbows, spinning elbows, all creative weapons that can be a problem.
Because of Jones’ incredible reach — 84.5 inches, the second-longest in the UFC — it’s easier for him to throw elbows at close range than it is for him to land punches.
Change your tendencies
When skilled strikers such as Jones and Miocic square off, the smallest adjustments can be the difference between winning and losing.
According to Cormier, in his second fight with Miocic, Miocic saw the middle fight and capitalized to win. Cormier believes Jones can give Miocic the same opening.
“Stipe knew I was putting my hands up to gauge the distance, so he switched to body shots,” Cormier said. “But it didn’t happen until the third or fourth round. He knew when I was going to open myself up when I threw a jab or when I was going to get close.
“That’s a good weapon to use against Jon Jones. … If Jon isn’t careful, reaching like he did, he can expose himself.”
Jones also proved he can make the most of his opponent’s openings in his matchup with Cormier. Jones does it by changing his tendencies between fights.
“He knows he found success with weapons for my body, but a lot of it (in Jones-Cormier 1) was kicks and knees,” Cormier said. “(In Jones-Cormier 2), Jon started using his hands to get the same result – I dropped my right elbow – to try to set up a high kick. … Jon (knew) the weapon on the right side (would) end up making me started dropping my elbows, and when I did, Jones was able to find the opening and land a head kick.
Are Jones and Miocic finding the same holes in each other’s games as Cormier? If so, will they be able to use the opening when presenting themselves? Who will be clearer, with two inactive people?
In the world of MMA there are many questions that need to be answered. On Saturday night, we will get that clarity.
