ANALYSIS
This was a true back-and-forth affair. It didn't start well for Stipe. He appeared to drop Round 1 and allowed Cormier to set the pace. Miocic didn't look great for a good portion of Round 2, either, until he dropped DC with one big shot late in the frame that likely stole him the round. He was in a dominant position and may have very well earned a stoppage had Cormier not been saved by the bell. It was by far the biggest moment of the fight. Aided by a vicious accidental eye poke that referee Marc Goddard did not see, Stipe appeared to widen the gap between the two men in Round 3. DC responded with a competitive Round 4 before Stipe regained the momentum for the vast majority of Round 5. Miocic entered in arguably the best shape of his career, and that cardio was on full display in the final frame when he appeared to be the fresher fighter. DC's eye injury played a major factor in this fight, but Stipe went out and did what he had to do. The rumors of a potential Miocic v. Jon Jones super fight won't go away, but the overwhelming likelihood is that Stipe's next title defense will come against the wrecking ball that is Francis Ngannou. Miocic successfully defended his title against Ngannou back in January 2018, winning via unanimous decision. That being said, Ngannou is a different fighter now. No fighter in the sport hits harder. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Stipe finds himself a betting underdog if that fight gets made.

ANALYSIS
This will be the third bout between the two heavyweights. Miocic suffered a torn retina in his win over Cormier last August and is cleared to fight, but admitted in April that he still deals with some issues resulting from that injury. Despite the potential vision issue, he still came out victorious in that bout, using body shots to his advantage to earn the TKO victory in the fourth round. He racked up 123 significant strikes in that matchup, but also allowed his opponent to land 181, suggesting this could be a fantasy-friendly fight if it gets past the initial rounds. Miocic is currently a slight betting favorite of roughly (-120) at the time of the fight announcement, which is an improvement from when he closed as a slight underdog the last time around.

ANALYSIS
Miocic was officially diagnosed with a torn retina, and he told Helwani on Wednesday that he still sees spots on occasion. While a trilogy fight against Daniel Cormier has long been anticipated, his medical team has advised him to take his time with a comeback. Cormier turned 41 in March and has long been looming retirement, so it's fair to question if that matchup ever will happen. In the meantime, Miocic -- who works as a first responder -- plans to instead focus his efforts on a bigger fight, the one against the COVID-19 pandemic.

ANALYSIS
Miocic suffered an eye injury in August during his fight against Daniel Cormier in which he reclaimed the UFC Heavyweight Championship. The injury left him sidelined for the remainder of the calendar year, but he'll now be able to sign a contract when he feels ready. The 37-year-old has resumed training and has expressed an openness to take on whatever opponent the UFC puts him against.

ANALYSIS
Miocic regained his UFC Heavyweight Championship with the victory over Cormier at UFC 24, but he certainly didn't exit the octagon unscathed. Okamoto reports that the UFC had interest in booking a trilogy fight between the two for December, but Miocic remained resistant to it while recovering from the surgery required after he suffered the eye injury.