UFC 252: Heavyweight division faces uncertain future after Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier settle rivalry

Heavyweight could be heading into a complicated time after Miocic and Cormier settle their rivalry on Saturday

On Saturday night, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier will meet for a third and final time, with not only the title on the line, but also the status of "greatest heavyweight in UFC history." At a combined 78 years old and with both men having talked about retirement, there is an outside chance UFC 252 could be the last time we see either man in the Octagon.

Whether both Cormier and Miocic retire after the fight or simply some time in the near future, there's a massive shift coming to the heavyweight division.

Cormier's original plan had been to retire by the time he turned 40. Now 41, the former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion is set to step into the cage yet again, if for no other reason than to settle his issues with Miocic and put a final stamp on his legacy. The original retirement plan blew up when the Miocic rematch, which Cormier expected to be his last, was delayed past his 40th birthday as a result of injury. Cormier had blitzed Miocic to score a knockout victory and claim the UFC heavyweight title in their first bout, and after a strong start in the rematch, found himself on the receiving end of a knockout. The rubber match only made sense before Cormier hung up his gloves for good.

Ahead of UFC 252, Cormier has reiterated that he's planning to walk away, win or lose.

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As for Miocic, he has claimed he will continue fighting for as long as he is having fun, though there has been talk from some corners that he could consider retirement as well, continuing his work as a firefighter in Ohio. With a win over Cormier, there would be few mountains left to climb in the division.

Francis Ngannou is the top contender to the title after Cormier, and Miocic already holds a 2018 win over the heavy-hitting Ngannou. Beyond a rematch of a fight that left no real doubt the first time around, there's no fights in the immediate future that would do much to improve Miocic's legacy.

The division, beyond the top trifecta of Miocic, Cormier and Ngannou, is thin on top-tier contenders. And, even should Miocic continue fighting, the future of the division seems lacking in big-money fights.

Curtis Blaydes is on a four-fight winning streak and has proven to be a handful in taking out notable names like Junior Dos Santos and Alexander Volkov. However, in beating Volkov, Blaydes found himself on the bad side of UFC president Dana White, who said Blaydes "looked stupid" by grinding out a decision win over Volkov that was low on excitement and saw both men run out of gas late. In addition, White suggested Blaydes wasn't in line for a future title shot, and said he should "stay busy" rather than wait for a shot at the belt.

Over the past few years, a tangled mess has developed in the middle of the division with Ngannou, Blaydes, Junior dos Santos and Derrick Lewis all holding wins over each other.

Alistair Overeem remains in the mix as a top 10 heavyweight, though one with losses to Miocic, Ngannou, Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who was looking like a future title challenger in his own right before being knocked out in just 20 seconds by Ngannou.

Ciryl Gane at 30 is a rare, undefeated UFC heavyweight who holds the No. 15 spot in the UFC's official rankings, but is only 6-0 without facing higher-end challenges, so plenty of questions remain about his abilities. Some of those questions may be answered at UFC 253 when Gane takes on Shamil Abdurakhimov in one of the very few heavyweight fights currently on the UFC schedule.

A couple of under-30 fringe contenders have shown some promise, with 29-year-old Augusto Sakai 4-0 in the UFC and 28-year-old knockout artist Sergei Pavlovic on a two-fight winning streak. Sakai likely should have lost his fight against Andrei Arlovski, though he was gifted a split decision, and his split decision win over Blagoy Ivanov would have been a majority draw had the referee rightfully taken a point for a fence grab that allowed Sakai to remain upright and changed the course of the fight. And Pavlovic suffered a 2018 first-round knockout against Overeem that showed a potentially low ceiling in the Octagon.

This is all to say, the future at the top of the heavyweight division could be messy in the coming years. But every fight in the division now carries extra weight and even a single victory could position anyone in the top 10 as an immediate title challenger.

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