UFC 252: A Detailed Recap of Miocic vs Cormier 3 and Other…

UFC 252 settled the heavyweight trilogy between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on August 15, 2020. With their series tied at one win apiece, Miocic retained the championship by unanimous decision in a five-round fight that became Cormier’s final professional appearance.

Miocic wins the deciding meeting

Cormier and Miocic exchanged effective offense early, with both using the clinch as well as punches at range. Miocic hurt Cormier late in the second round and increasingly used pressure against the fence. The fight lasted all five rounds, allowing the champion’s sustained work to reach the scorecards.

Miocic won unanimously and finished the rivalry ahead two victories to one. Eye pokes were part of the fight’s controversy, including one that affected Cormier’s vision, but the official outcome remained a successful heavyweight title defense. The event took place at the Apex, not in Dublin or a public arena.

Vera stops O’Malley; Rozenstruik rebounds

Marlon Vera defeated Sean O’Malley by first-round TKO in the co-main event. O’Malley had difficulty with his leg before the finishing sequence, and Vera capitalized with ground strikes. The result was O’Malley’s first professional defeat.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik stopped Junior dos Santos in round two. Daniel Pineda finished Herbert Burns with elbows, while Merab Dvalishvili used his wrestling and pace to beat John Dodson by unanimous decision. These supporting bouts gave heavyweight and bantamweight important results beyond the headliner.

The complete preliminary card

Vinc Pichel defeated Jim Miller by unanimous decision, and Virna Jandiroba submitted Felice Herrig with an armbar. Chris Daukaus stopped Parker Porter in the first round, adding another heavyweight finish.

Danny Chavez, Livinha Souza and Kai Kamaka III also earned decision victories. Including those six preliminary fights completes the 11-bout event and preserves the contributions of fighters whose performances can otherwise disappear beneath the legacy discussion surrounding the main event.

Complete UFC 252 results

• Stipe Miocic def. Daniel Cormier — unanimous decision, R5, 5:00; retained heavyweight title.
• Marlon Vera def. Sean O’Malley — TKO (elbows and punches), R1, 4:40.
• Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Junior dos Santos — TKO (punches), R2, 3:47.
• Daniel Pineda def. Herbert Burns — TKO (elbows), R2, 4:37.
• Merab Dvalishvili def. John Dodson — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Vinc Pichel def. Jim Miller — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Virna Jandiroba def. Felice Herrig — submission (armbar), R1, 1:44.
• Danny Chavez def. TJ Brown — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Livinha Souza def. Ashley Yoder — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Chris Daukaus def. Parker Porter — TKO (punches and knee), R1, 4:28.
• Kai Kamaka III def. Tony Kelley — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.

Sources

UFC 252 official results; Sherdog: UFC 252 complete event record.

Article Tags

UFC, UFC 252, Mixed Martial Arts