Presented by UFC 241 on ESPN+
UFC 241 is still over a week away, but it’s never too early to get hyped for for a fight card that features a heavyweight title fight, a legit grudge match, and the return of Nate Diaz.
Seriously, UFC 241 has all the components of an all-time MMA card, and it’s time to start the deep dive into this banger of an event, which goes down on August 17 in Anaheim, CA. Of course, if you’re not able to make it to the Honda Center to watch Daniel “DC” Cormier defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic, you can always order the UFC 241 Pay Per View main card on ESPN+.
The Return of Nate Diaz
While the heavyweight title fight between Cormier and Miocic sits atop the UFC 241 marquee, it’s the co-main event between Nate Diaz and Anthony “Showtime” Pettis that’s got everyone talking.
Sure, Pettis is coming off one of his greatest career performances, but it’s the return of Diaz, who will fight for the first time in nearly three years that has diehard fight fanatics and casual fans ready to shell out a cool $59.99.
Diaz has long since been a cult figure in the world of mixed martial arts dating back to his run on season five of The Ultimate Fighter, which he eventually won. He’s literally slapped dudes in the Octagon, flipped the double birds while locking in a perfect triangle choke, talked smack to Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone for their entire fight, and vaped CBD while still under the scrutiny of the Nevada Athletic Commission. Oh, Diaz also became the first person to beat Conor McGregor inside the UFC.
Headlining two of the UFC’s all-time best selling pay per view cards back in 2016, when he traded wins and losses with McGregor, Diaz is now back after a near three-year hiatus, and the entire fight world couldn’t be more excited.
Seriously, this fight alone is worth the price of admission.
A Heavyweight Title Rematch
It may not be the Brock Lesnar fight that UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier was hoping for. It may not be the trilogy bout with Jon Jones either. But this heavyweight title fight between “DC” and Stipe Miocic is one hell of a contest, even if Cormier took Miocic out it less than a round last time they fought.
For his part, Daniel Cormier may very well be the greatest heavyweight fighter in the history of mixed martial arts. That’s no hyperbole either.
Cormier, a former Olympic wrestler, is a perfect 15-0 at heavyweight, and has a UFC title, along with a Strikeforce belt, in his trophy case. He’s also one of four UFC fighters to achieve champ status and defended both of his titles, although he eventually relinquished the light heavyweight belt.
Miocic is no slouch. He’s actually the most decorated UFC heavyweight of all time, having defended the belt more than any heavyweight in history, recording 14 knockouts during his pro career. Seriously, dude has some hefty meat cleavers for fists.
Looking at this fight, it’s still unclear if Cormier just caught Miocic with a perfect punch, or if “DC” is really a class above the rest. In their prior contest at UFC 226 in July 2018, Miocic was looking good for the first few exchanges until he got dropped and finished.
There’s still enough meat on this bone to dive in for a second helping.
Talk About a Grudge Match
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Paulo “The Eraser” Costa in action. It’s been even longer since we’ve seen Yoel Romero, and there’s no doubt that this battle between top-10 middleweights is highly, extremely, unmistakably anticipated.
Previously lined up to fight at UFC 230 in November 2018, Romero, whose only losses at middleweight have come to current champion Robert Whittaker, and the undefeated Costa have been tossing accusations and hurling insults around social media like a pair of passive-aggressive gen z school bullies.
Except they’re not. They’re a pair of superhuman physical specimens.
Both Romero and Costa are known for their incredible physiques, along with their finishing abilities, and now that this fight is personal, there’s an excellent chance that they’re gonna push forward from the opening bell and start slinging heavy leather.
While we’ve seen more of Romero’s body of work, he still continues to be a wildcard inside the Octagon. Known for his Olympic caliber wrestling — he took silver at the 2000 Sydney Games — Romero is still adding new wrinkles into his ever-evolving MMA game. Costa, who has finished 11 of his 12 pro wins by knockout, feels like the more known commodity. And what we know about this 28-year-old Brazilian is that he likes to throw hands and punch heads clean off.
This fight has all the makings of a barnburner, and the winner very well may earn the next middleweight title shot against the winner of Whittaker and Israel Adesanya.
Looking at the Card
The UFC has many different methods for piecing together their fight cards, and every construction is unique. Unlike UFC 238, which was loaded from top to bottom, but lacked big-selling names save Cerrone and Ferguson, UFC 241 is built a bit more like UFC 239, with three massive fights at the top of the card.
The biggest difference here is the sheer significance and appeal of the Diaz vs. Pettis fight. After a few inconsistent years, Pettis appears to be hitting a new stride at welterweight and Diaz is in a class all his own when it comes to his cult hero status. Well, maybe his older brother Nick Diaz is part of that club as well, but with Nate out for nearly three years, UFC 241 is lined up to be one of the most significant cards in recent memory and will serve as a true measure and test of his popularity and star power.
UFC 241 Pay Per View Main Card on ESPN+ (7 p.m. PST / 10 p.m. EST)*
Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic (Main Event)
Anthony Pettis vs. Nate Diaz (Co-Main Event)
Yoel Romero vs. Paulo Costa
Gabriel Benitez vs. Sodiq Yusuff
Derek Brunson vs. Ian Heinisch
UFC 241 Prelims*
Raphael Assuncao vs. Cory Sandhagen
Drakkar Klose vs. Christos Giagos
Manny Bermudez vs. Casey Kenney
Devonte Smith vs. John Makdessi
Kyung Ho Kang vs. Brandon Davis
Sabina Mazo vs. Shana Dobson
Hannah Cifers vs. Jodie Esquibel
*Bout Order Subject to Change
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