3. Don’t let Stipe tire him out
While Miocic has garnered most of his wins by way of sheer punching power and technique, his last bout against Francis Ngannou at UFC 220 highlighted his ability to press the action for five rounds and wear his opponents down.
With the whole world fearing the devastating power of Ngannou, Miocic showed everyone what strategy can do and earned a decision win by controlling the fight and exploiting Ngannou’s gas tank.
If Cormier hopes to avoid getting ground to a halt, he will need some serious cardio. Working at AKA with cardio freaks like Cain Velasquez, Cormier has lodged five round victories in the past using stellar conditioning, such as in his fight with Gustafsson.
However, this was a split-decision win and a lot of Gustafsson’s offense came due to DC’s slower pace in the later rounds.
When fighting Miocic, Cormier will not have any respite as the heavyweight champ is a former NCAA Division I wrestler. Cormier himself has great wrestling prowess but there’s no doubt, the fight against Miocic will require a lot of energy to go toe-to-toe.
Therefore, if DC wishes to become a two weight world champion, his cardio will need to be better than it has ever been.