UFC 252 results: Miocic wins trilogy, Vera derails O'Malley hype train

The UFC returned to Las Vegas this weekend with UFC 252, where the biggest trilogy in UFC heavyweight took place – Now the full results are in. Stipe Miocic would defend his heavyweight title against former champion Daniel Cormier, the two meeting for the third time. Cormier had won the first fight via knockout in the opening round, whereas Miocic had avenged his loss in the rematch with a fourth round KO.

Their final meeting would go the distance, though it was a closely contested affair. Miocic landed several shots throughout the first round, with Cormier landing the somewhat harder strikes. Towards the end of the second round, Miocic dropped Cormier with a hard shot to the jaw, with the latter holding out for dear life. The third continued in a similar fashion, though Miocic inadvertently poked Cormier in the eye, which would affect the rest of the fight. Cormier, having trouble seeing, would look to end the fight with a knockout punch, though Miocic closed the distance, clinching, and ended the fight in an advantageous position.

Cormier, who had flirted with retirement previously, doubled down on this being his final fight.

“I don’t think there’s a title in my future,” Cormier said after the fight. “That will be it for me. I’ve had a long run, I just fought for the heavyweight championship. It was a great fight.”

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The co-main event saw red-hot bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley face his toughest test to date, facing Ecuadorian staple Marlon Vera. The two began exchanging kicks early, with O’Malley visibly hurting his leg throughout the exchanges. Vera then targeted the injured leg, landing on top and throwing hard elbows to end the fight.

“Count me out now – say something now,” Vera told Joe Rogan after the fight. “A lot of people have an opinion, but it doesn’t matter. … The sky’s the limit. … If you’re going to kick with a kicker, make sure you’re ready to kick. … The guy has a lot of hype – good for him. But he doesn’t have the dog I have inside. The dog I have inside is bigger than all these guys.”

In other bouts, Jairzinho Rozenstruik returned to the win column with a bug TKO win over former heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos, and Daniel Pineda finished Herbert Burns with strikes.