UFC 241: Cormier vs. Miocic 2 Odds, Tickets, Predictions and Pre-Weigh-in Hype

Daniel Cormier will defend his heavyweight title against the man he won it from, Stipe Miocic, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, at UFC 241 on Saturday.

The pair will headline the event after an undercard that includes a welterweight clash between Nate Diaz, who is making his first appearance in three years, and Anthony Pettis.

Meanwhile, Yoel Romero will take on Paulo Costa, and Gabriel Benitez faces Sodiq Yusuff. 

Derek Brunson's clash with Ian Heinisch rounds out the main card.

UFC 241 tickets are available at StubHub.

UFC 241 Fight Card

Main Card (PPV, ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET, BT Sport 1 at 3 a.m. BST Sunday)

Daniel Cormier (-155) vs. Stipe Miocic (+125)

Anthony Pettis (-130) vs. Nate Diaz (+100)

Yoel Romero (-165) vs. Paulo Costa (+135)

Gabriel Benitez (+230) vs. Sodiq Yusuff (-280)

Derek Brunson (+135) vs. Ian Heinisch (-165)

Preliminary Card (ESPN at 8 p.m. ET, BT Sport 1 at 1 a.m. BST Sunday)

Khama Worthy vs. Devonte Smith

Raphael Assuncao (+150) vs. Cory Sandhagen (-180)

Manny Bermudez (-135) vs. Casey Kenney (+105)

Drakkar Klose (-210) vs. Christos Giagos (+175)

Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. ET, 11:30 p.m. BST)

Hannah Cifers (-250) vs. Jodie Esquibel (+200)

Kyung Ho Kang (-190) vs. Brandon Davis (+160)

Sabina Mazo (+110) vs. Shana Dobson (-140)

Odds courtesy of Caesars

Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic

Cormier had planned to retire by the time of his 40th birthday in March, but instead of calling time on an illustrious career, he's set to face Miocic in what should prove a tough rematch.

He told ESPN's Ariel Helwani he has not yet decided if this fight will be his last, but he wants to bow out on top:

DC became a two-weight champion when he won the heavyweight belt from Miocic in July last year courtesy of a first-round knockout. He then defended his title against Derrick Lewis in November.

Per MMA Junkie's Farah Hannoun, he also told Helwani, "It's going to take a very, very tough man to bounce back from what I do to Stipe on Saturday night."

Miocic, who holds the record for defending the heavyweight title having done so successfully on three occasions before losing it to Cormier, has not fought since their bout.

He's confident in his own abilities, though, as he told The Score's James Lynch: "I like shutting people up. I'm good at that. I don't care where [the fight goes], if it's first round or five rounds, it's going to be me dominating."

Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

The 36-year-old has a superb 18-3 record in MMA, though Cormier is one of the few fighters who can boast better at 22-1 (1).

Having fought one another once before, it could be a closer contest this time around, particularly if Miocic can capitalise on his six-inch height and seven-inch reach advantage. 

Cormier is the favourite for a reason, though. He can win by striking or take the fight to the mat with his wrestling skills, and he's unbeaten in 13 career fights at heavyweight.

The veteran's only defeat has come at the hands of Jon Jones, and that is likely to remain the case come Sunday.

Prediction: Cormier wins

Anthony Pettis vs. Nate Diaz

Pettis and Diaz have never fought one another in the Octagon, but they've been rivals for some time:

Fans will not only see a long-awaited matchup between the pair, but also Diaz's eagerly anticipated return to the sport after a three-year hiatus.

Diaz has not stepped foot in the Octagon since his decision defeat to Conor McGregor at UFC 202 in 2016.

In an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto (h/t Bloody Elbow's Milan Ordonez), the 34-year-old explained his decision to fight Pettis, rather than welterweight champion Kamaru Usman or lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

"I feel like I'm just better and cooler than those guys," he said. "The hell do I want to fight them for? Pettis is cooler than both of them, fightwise."

He added: "The guy that's kicking everybody's ass, that's what you're fighting for in the first place, right? Fight the best fighters, the coolest fighters. That's the sport I signed up for when I signed up."

Pettis most recently beat Stephen Thompson in March, winning with a "Superman punch" in the second round (U.S. only):

Showtime, 22-8, has not won back-to-back fights since he beat Gilbert Melendez in 2014, though, having won against Benson Henderson in his previous fight the year prior.

Before his hiatus, Diaz (19-11) had lost four of his last seven fights. While three years out of the Octagon allows him to wipe the slate clean to an extent, the lengthy absence might also hinder him somewhat.

Despite Pettis' mixed recent record, he can take advantage of any ring rust on Diaz's part, and that could swing the fight in his favour.

Prediction: Pettis wins