UFC 252 saw the illustrious career of former two-time light heavyweight champion and former heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier, brought to a close, following his five-round war with Stipe Miocic.
DC's career wasn't the only thing brought to a close though, with the bout drawing a conclusion to a trilogy between the two men that's last over two years. With DC retired, Miocic now free to take on new challengers and a certain former light heavyweight champion hurtling towards the heavyweight division, The MMA Mindset have decided to take a look at five possible contenders and rank them on how their chances against the champ.
5. Derrick Lewis
After an impressive second-round TKO victory over Aleksei Oleinik on August 8, Derrick Lewis' win streak has risen to three straight and he's beginning to gain real traction as a future contender for the heavyweight title.
There's no denying the knockout power that the Black Beast possesses, and having already picked up a win over number one contender Francis Ngannou, Lewis definitely stakes a claim for a future title shot. However, I don't see any feasible scenario where he overcomes Stipe Miocic in a five-round right. Lewis' gas tank is a huge weakness of his and if Miocic can avoid that overhand right throughout the first two rounds, I'd envision a long gruelling night that would see the champ retain his title.
4. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Yes, Jairzinho Rozenstruik got back into the win column in an emphatic way, knocking former champion Junior Dos Santos out at UFC 252, but I'm still not entirely convinced on the 32-year-old.
Even in his fight with Cingano, Rozenstruik was second best for the majority of the matchup, but demonstrated his dangerous knockout power, dropping JDS out of nowhere. Rozenstruik will always have a puncher's chance against Miocic, but the Cleveland native is just too elusive and will most likely weather any storm the challenger throws at him, before outwrestling, out striking and outworking him.
3. Curtis Blaydes
Although he's only third on the list, Curtis Blaydes has the ability to actually cause serious problems for Miocic. Currently, on a four-fight win streak, Blaydes is surging up the heavyweight rankings and - outside of Francis Ngannou who's beaten him twice - has looked unbeatable.
Blaydes undoubtedly has the strongest wrestling in the heavyweight division and won't be afraid to utilise it against the champ. Daniel Cormier's downfall was his reluctance to wrestle with Miocic as it would have given him a significant advantage, but Blaydes won't hold back. If the 29-year-old could take and hold Miocic down, he definitely has a great chance at dethroning the champ.
2. Francis Ngannou
Yes, Stipe may have beaten Franic Ngannou already, but the man entering a possible rematch is a completely different animal compared to who fought Miocic previously. The champ did an excellent job grinding Ngannou down in the first fight and the Cameroonian-French fighter was visibly gassed out early on.
Ngannou is currently on a four-fight win streak, with the four fights not even lasting a combined three minutes. The 33-year-old has some of the most incredible knockout power we've ever seen inside the octagon and having learned from his previous mistakes against the champ, the number one contender would likely approach the rematch in a much more tactical manner, biding his time before ultimately looking to land that knockout blow. Yes, Miocic's chin held up in the first fight, but we've seen since then that the fight took its toll on him and is ultimately what likely lead to Daniel Cormier knocking him out.
It's hard to rule Ngannou out against anyone as he has the ability to knock out just about anyone.
1. Jon Jones
While this may be controversial, Jon Jones is currently the man who stands the best chance at beating Stipe Miocic. With his unnatural length, Jones is the opportunity to keep Miocic at distance, the way we've seen him do to so many others.
In his recent title fight with DC, Miocic held Cormier in the clinch on numerous occasions, but Jones is a different animal entirely and his clinch work would seriously unsettle the champ. Jones also possesses superb wrestling ability and would likely prove to be a real tough test for the champ.
I'm not necessarily saying Jones would beat the heavyweight GOAT, but if anyone can, it's definitely the now-former light heavyweight champion and with Jones vacating his 205lb title and setting his sights on the heavyweight division, this could very well be in the near future.
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