UFC 241 Preview
In combat sports, a knockout is about as definitive as a finish that there is for a fight with nobody left to judge who was better on the night.
Without judges to decide who wins or a submission where the referee decides when a fighter has had enough there is no question about who was better.
A knockout is about as definitive as it can get in fighting but it is not necessarily the be-all and end-all of finishing.
Knockouts are a clear when the highlights are shown but when it really comes down to it they have a lot more to them than simply one fighter being better than the other.
A knockout can happen almost immediately and simply because one fight made the wrong move at the wrong time.
Although it seems to show pretty conclusively who is better all a knockout might really show is that one fighter unleashed that the right moment.
Depending on the weight class these knockouts can happen even with the smallest mistake and if they happen fast it tells us absolutely nothing about the two fighters.
It’s hard to determine outright whether one fighter is better than the other after a knockout but often it comes down to that being the case.
That is until that fighter can get a rematch if they can get a rematch and show that they can be better.
That is what will happen at UFC 241 when two of the greatest heavyweights of all time will face off for the second time.
The first time didn’t go so well for the one defending the belt as Stipe Miocic suffered a knockout loss to Daniel Cormier.
Before that moment, Miocic was making a strong case for being crowned the greatest heavyweight in UFC history.
Although many would have other big names at the top there is no denying that Miocic had the record to trump all of them.
He was the only heavyweight fighter to defend the belt more than twice in a division that is known for things ending quickly.
No other champion had ever been able to withstand the unpredictability of the division and become a dominant champion.
That dominance came to an end when he took on Daniel Cormier who had made his way through just about everyone in the light heavyweight division and made a move to his more natural weight.
He was never a light heavyweight but with Cain Velasquez, a close friend and training partner, sitting at heavyweight he refused to move up.
As Cormier approached the end of his career and Velasquez struggled to get back to the title the light heavyweight champion decided to attempt to become the latest double-champion.
He took that title with the knockout win over Miocic and solidified himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
If it wasn’t for his fights against Jon Jones, who failed multiple drug test around the time that he beat Cormier, there would likely be little debate about who is the best in the world.
After winning the belt against Miocic, Cormier was put back into that debate as a two-division champion.
After only defending the belt once though, Cormier is looking to become a true champion by taking on his second challenger.
This time it will be the former champion and the most successful champion in heavyweight history.
Miocic has been looking for this rematch for a while as he has refused to take a fight until now when he finally gets the chance to earn his title back.
Cormier will try to prove that the knockout was no fluke and that he is truly the better fighter out of the two.
Although one knockout is not entirely convincing earning two would be a pretty big statement for a fighter just about to walk away.
If Miocic can get the win he will once again sit on top of the division and try to make sure that he remains there as well as remaining at the top of everyone’s all-time heavyweight list.
The Sport Addiction 