Daniel Cormier vs Stipe Miocic 3: Will The Smaller Cage Favor Daniel Cormier?

August 15 will see the ultimate heavyweight clash, when Stipe Miocic defends his belt against Daniel Cormier. The rubber match is booked as the headlining feature for UFC 252 taking place at the Apex Facility in Las Vegas.  Not to mention, the winner of the bout will probably go down as the best heavyweight in this promotion’s history.

As the fight draws near, several questions arise as to the factors that will play a role in the fight. The two elite heavyweight fighters have met on two past occasions, with both fights ending in violent finishing sequences. With one win each, both athletes will be keen to make the necessary adjustments to wear the gold strap.

Moreover, the trilogy fight has seen a build-up period of around 3 years with injuries on both sides of the camp. Daniel Cormier underwent back surgery and Stipe Miocic had to heal from a broken hand, thus leading to more intangibles. Chiefly, fight fans will be on the lookout for every detail when predicting the winner of the fight.

Cage Size: How does it factor in?

Considering the aforementioned intangibles heading into the fight, perhaps the differing size of the octagon will play a significant role. The trilogy fight in the Apex Facility will be fought in a 25-foot cage. This is a significant deviation from the standardized octagon, which measures up to be 30-feet.

Chiefly, fights that have taken place in Las Vegas have appeared to create a higher pulsing octane in terms of action. The smaller cage facilitates fights to engage more with each other and eliminates cage cutting. Fans of the sport have been involved in a heated debate whether the Olympian Wrestler can use the smaller cage to his advantage.

Daniel Cormier is on a path to victory

Based on certain striking components of their previous outings, there are reasons to believe that DC can turn the tide. The AKA captain will have to rely on his ability to enter into close range to dethrone the undisputed king. Not to mention, he comes in with an 8-inch reach disadvantage against Miocic. He found immense success in their first meeting by being able to stick onto Miocic around the 30-feet cage.

Using the constricted space of the 25-foot cage, DC will probably look to replicate his success with leg kicks. His Ohio opponent failed to check leg kicks in both the previous fight, thus leading to accumulated damage. Moreover, the leg kick set-up to a high crotch takedown has been a standard weapon in DC’s arsenal.

Additionally, Cormier will be keen to circumvent his reach disadvantage by clinching Miocic at frequent intervals. Not to mention, this will safeguard him from absorbing body shots that were his undoing in the second fight. In the clinch range, the former two-division champion has found immense success against all his opponents. He will look to play it closer to the chest to avoid suffering the same fate as it unfolded in their second meeting.

Given his high fight IQ and experience fighting elite competition, Daniel will look to utilize the cage to his advantage. By being in closer range, he has increased odds at landing the Knockout blow that could cement his legacy in MMA forever.

Source: Daniel Cormier Sherdog, Javier Urquieta- Twitter, Blue Corner Fighting- Twitter