Steve Marcus/Getty Photographs
The UFC news cycle is dominated by champions and worn champions trying to internet lend a hand to the close of the mountain or prevent others from reaching it.
Among the necessary tales, Henry Cejudo would love to add a third UFC championship to his resume, Kamaru Usman is making an are attempting and protect his belt, and Daniel Cormier is making an are attempting and internet one lend a hand from Stipe Miocic.
Cejudo publicly retired within the cage after his put off over Dominick Cruz in Could additionally. For optimistic, as a fighter, he’s expected to retire no no longer as a lot as three events and has already been teasing a return.
Usman’s preparations for defending his welterweight title are going to glimpse various from any various fight in his profession.
Cormier, within the period in-between, couldn’t be more pondering the location within the direction of which he’ll fight Miocic for the third time.
This is the rundown for every of the champions.
Dana White Now not Offered on Cejudo vs. Volkanovski
It did no longer take Cejudo long to existing that his retirement was as soon as conditional. The worn flyweight and bantamweight king has publicly expressed his hobby in a fight with most modern featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski to put off a historic third championship.
Volkanovski even acknowledged the callout and fired lend a hand, asserting Cejudo will maintain to in actuality fear concerning the challengers in his contain divisions.
UFC president Dana White has now also weighed in on the aptitude for a superfight between the two, and the outlook is no longer correct.
“He’s retired,” White talked about, per Farah Hannoun of MMAjunkie. “I faithful did another interview where of us are asking me about various retired guys, these guys are retired. I’m no longer even by any of those guys, they’re retired. There are such plenty of younger of us pleasing now that are here, that are attempting to fight. Those are the of us that I’m fascinated about.”
Or no longer it is that you are going to be ready to mediate of that White is to be taken seriously here. Featherweight would no longer lack for contenders to position against Volkanovski, starting up with a rematch against Max Holloway on July 11. Could additionally tranquil he internet past Holloway, he would maintain only defended the belt as soon as.
This, mighty love Cejudo’s retirement, could well even additionally be a negotiation tactic. Cejudo is no longer the ideal headliner within the business by any stretch, and refusing to acknowledge his desire to switch up and fight again could well even very nicely be White playing hardball.
At this level, it be taking a explore less seemingly here’s a fight that gets made any time soon.
Kamaru Usman Switching Camps Sooner than Title Fight
Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns maintain expert collectively since no no longer as a lot as 2013. In precisely about a weeks, they’ll be watching every various from across the cage with the welterweight title on the line.
That could well produce for some awkward eventualities at the fitness heart, however that is no longer going to occur, as Usman has switched camps sooner than the fight. Brett Okamoto of ESPN spoke to the champion about his switch to Denver, where he is practicing with Trevor Wittman.
Wittman is a revered coach and has labored with the likes of Georges St-Pierre, Rose Namajunas and Justin Gaethje. As Okamoto illustrious, this could perhaps be the necessary time the champion has had a camp originate air of Florida. He was as soon as beforehand a portion of the Blackzilians earlier than joining Sanford MMA, where Burns remains a member.
“I wished a puny more explicit attention at this level in my profession—somebody to be able to articulate, ‘You must to well perhaps also very nicely be going to reach in at the present and work on this particular capacity.’ Or no longer it is very tricky to produce that as soon as there are 40 to 50 guys within the room with you who also deserve to internet attention,” Usman told Okamoto when explaining the alternate.
Both fighters maintain labored below Henri Hooft, who has chosen to be in neither fighter’s nook for the fight.
The familiarity and shift in camps add another layer of intrigue to the title fight. Usman has been an unstoppable force within the division and has but to lose a fight since joining the UFC in 2015. He accomplished Colby Covington within the fifth-spherical of his first title protection.
Burns comes into the fight with substantial momentum. He is using a six-fight put off walk, with the most fresh put off a one-sided beatdown against Tyron Woodley that looked an terrible lot love the beating Usman set on the worn champ.
Given the similarity in both of their practicing backgrounds, per chance that mustn’t had been a surprise. How their info of every various’s sport will play out within the cage can be one amongst the key tales to note when they meet at UFC 251.
Cormier Enraged to Meet Miocic in Smaller Cage
The stakes couldn’t be better within the rubber match between Cormier and Miocic. Both fighters maintain wide resumes within the heavyweight division, and the narrative between the two sits at 1-1. The winner of this fight will maintain bragging rights and the crown of “ideal of their period” for correct.
With both fighters proving their mettle against one another, any puny advantage is going to matter, and DC feels he has one within the smaller cage the two will fight in.
In a dialog with Ariel Helwani of ESPN (h/t MMAjunkie), Cormier was as soon as pleased to search out out the fight will plod down at the APEX Facility where the promotion has been the utilization of a smaller, 25-foot cage.
“I love combating at the APEX,” Cormier talked about. “That worn leg can be pleasing in front of me to rob. I’ll be love Curtis Blaydes. At the same time as you take to deserve to leer a 25-minute standup fight, it be no longer what you would also very nicely be getting. I’m hoping Stipe has his wrestling sneakers as a consequence of with the puny cage—single leg, single leg, single leg, single leg, wrestling. It is what it is some distance. Sorry.”
Wrestling was as soon as a key of their 2nd fight. Cormier’s ideal moments came within the necessary spherical when he was as soon as ready to internet a takedown and land 21 ground strikes. That can be his only takedown within the fight, though, as Miocic rallied to flip the tide and knock DC out within the fourth spherical.
This matchup is as correct because it gets within the heavyweight division, and the fight taking plight within the smaller Octagon faithful guarantees there can be nowhere to bustle and distance can be appealing to reach by for the third and closing fight of their sequence.
