In roughly 3 1⁄2 months, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will take on light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the UFC 226 main event. It’s a champ vs. champ showdown that will either see Cormier become a two-division titlist, or Miocic extend his own heavyweight title defense record to four.
There are admittedly not many viable title challengers for Miocic in his own division, which is part of the reason the Cormier matchup has high intrigue and was booked in the first place. One man who has risen up the ranks quickly is Curtis Blaydes, who is coming off a big win over Mark Hunt at UFC 221.