Watch UFC 241 Saturday | SUPER FIGHTS

S. Miocic (Left) and D. Cormier (Right) take part in the main fight of UFC 241. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @dc_mma

The city of Anaheim (USA) will be busy this weekend. With 12 confirmed fights, UFC 241 arrives to shake the emotions of MMA enthusiasts this Saturday (17). In addition to the heavyweight belt dispute (up to 120,2 kg.) between Daniel Cormier e Stipe Miocic, the card features Brazilians Paulo borrachinha e Raphael Assunção with important fights, in addition to marking the return of the controversial Nate diaz after three years of inactivity.

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In the main attraction of the night, Corimer will defend his second belt in a rematch against Stipe Miocic. The fighter, who won the belt over his opponent in July last year, is trying to secure another victory in his career and establish his name as one of the greatest MMA athletes of all time.

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On the main card, the long-awaited clash between the Brazilian Paulo borrachinha e Yoel romero will finally happen. After being scheduled and canceled on three occasions, this weekend, the athletes will exchange forces with an eye on a future fight for the middleweight title (up to 83,9kg), which currently belongs to Robert whittaker (linear) and Israel adesanya (interim).

The event will also provide the public with the return of Nate diaz, who returns to the octagon and debuts at welterweight (up to 77kg.) against the former lightweight champion (up to 70,3kg.), Anthony Pettis.

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In the preliminary, Raphael Assunção seeks to recover from the defeat to his compatriot Marlon moraes and exchanges forces against the North American, Cory Sandhagen, looking to return to the spotlight in the bantamweight division (up to 61,2kg.).

The event starts at 19:15 pm (Brasília time) with the preliminary card. From 23pm onwards, the main fights will take place.

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To get you in the mood, our team selected five reasons to watch UFC 241. Check it out:

1 – Cormier and the search for hegemony

D. Cormier (photo) and his two belts. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook UFC

Over almost 10 years as a professional in MMA, Cormier achieved great things in his successful career. Champion of the extinct 'Strikeforce' and with only one defeat in his career, the fighter continues to make history within the sport.

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This weekend, DC will make his second title defense since taking over as Stipe Miocic, in July last year. On that occasion, the North American moved up a category and gave up his light heavyweight title (up to 93kg) to try his luck in the heavyweight division (up to 120,2kg). He succeeded. In the confrontation that marked the main clash of UFC 226, Cormier managed to knock out Stipe in the first round and became another of the fighters to hold two belts in different categories.

At 40 years old, however, Daniel has already stated that he does not intend to extend his career for long. It is said behind the scenes of mixed martial arts that, in the event of a new victory, the Ultimate management would be willing to hold a third duel between him and his eternal rival, Jon Jones, the only athlete capable of beating DC in his MMA career (2015).

Confessed enemies, the fighters have already expressed their interest in sharing the Octagon on a third opportunity. It should be remembered that, the last time they faced each other (2017), Jones won by knockout, but the result of the fight was changed to 'no winner', after 'Bones' was caught in an anti-doping test for ingesting banned substances during a period of training.

There is also the premise, recently established by Daniel himself, that, if he defeats Miocic again, he could be considered the greatest heavyweight in history, given that Stipe was the athlete in the division who performed the most title defenses (three). .

2 – Miocic and the long-awaited rematch

S. Miocic (photo) with his old belt. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @ufc_brasil

Since being beaten by Cormier in July last year, Stipe requested that the UFC schedule an immediate rematch, thinking about his achievements as champion and asking that the fact that he was the athlete who managed to make the most defenses of heavyweight titles.

The company's management, however, did not respond to the North American's request and ended up having a clash between Daniel and the 'giant' Derrick Lewis, in which DC emerged victorious. Since then, Miocic has remained without acting for MMA and has seen some of the title candidates fail in their fights that could lead them to a title fight, as is the case with former champions, Cain Velazquez, and the Brazilian junior gypsy; defeated in his last commitment against the Franco-Cameroonian, Francis Ngannou, who was already defeated by Stipe.

Stipe's plans were also frustrated after Ultimate promoters openly declared a negotiation to hold a super fight between DC and the former champion, Brock Lesnar, which left Miocic in the background. Without an agreement with Lenar, the UFC then opted to give the firefighter another chance and set the fight for this Saturday.

If he manages to beat Cormier, Miocic could put a big question mark on the division, as it is not known whether they would opt for an immediate rematch in a third clash, or whether, in fact, Daniel would choose to end his career at the age of 40.

3 – The return of Nate Diaz

Nate diaz hasn't fought since August 2016. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @natediaz

One of Ultimate's most exciting athletes is back. After three years of inactivity, UFC 241 will have a big attraction in its co-main fight. Nate diaz, famous for his controversial and iconic performances within the organization, will face the former lightweight champion (up to 70,3kg.), Anthony Pettis, which was once one of the biggest names in the company.

Coming from defeat to Conor McGregor, in a result that the North American openly disputes, the fighter left the division, currently dominated by Khabib Nurmagomedov, and moved up to welterweight to face 'Showtime'. Diaz increased his weight under the claim that he had already beaten all the names in his old category.

At 34 years old, the fighter ends his career hiatus and fights his 31st fight as a professional athlete. A collector of controversies, the North American will be looking for his 20th victory in a record that currently has 11 defeats.

4 – Anyway, Borrachinha x Romero

Y. Romero (right) faces P. Borrachinha (left) at UFC 241. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @borrachinhamma

One of the most anticipated duels today is the meeting between Yoel romero and the Brazilian Paulo borrachinha. The fight, however, is not about a rematch or a past disagreement. None of that. The fight between Paulo and Yoel is, in addition to being a fight between two great athletes, famous for its famous 'it rains and it doesn't get wet'.

The athletes have already had the opportunity to face each other on three different occasions. However, the confrontation never occurred due to misfortunes of fate involving each one. This time, there is no escape. After the official weigh-in, held this Friday (16), the two athletes reached the weight limit and guaranteed the fight in the third presentation of the preliminary card.

The battle, in addition to the expectation of being able to observe the exchange of forces between the fighters, marks the possibility of the winner of the fight being able to guarantee himself as the next challenger for the title, which today belongs to Robert whittaker (lineal champion) and Israel adesanya (interim). The title unification fight is scheduled for October 6, in Australia.

Currently, Romero is in second place in the middleweight rankings, while Borrachinha is in seventh. A victory for the Brazilian could guarantee a leap forward in the category for the Minas Gerais native and place him in a prominent position among the category's elite.

In addition to the possibility of becoming a challenger, Paulo also defends his invincibility in his career. The 28-year-old Minas Gerais native has 12 duels and no defeats in his career. Of the 12 victories, 11 were by knockout.

5 – Raphael and the search for redemption

R. Assunção faces C. Sandhagen at UFC 241. Photo: Montagem SL / MMA Press

Since debuting in the UFC in 2011, Raphael Assunção is a name to be respected within the rooster division (up to 61,2kg.). Even though his debut was a defeat to the American Erik Koch, the Brazilian managed to overcome himself and, after the setback, managed to add seven consecutive victories, which placed him among the division's elite.

A bitter defeat for TJ Dillashaw (2016), former division title holder, prevented him from getting closer to a title shot. However, a new sequence of victories (four) put him face to face with his compatriot Marlon moraes. With the promise that the winner of the fight, which was scheduled for February this year, would be the challenger for the next title fight, the Tupiniquins faced each other in the main fight of UFC Fortaleza.

Moraes won and put Raphael, once again, on the climb towards the number one position. In this Saturday's clash, Assunção will face the young Cory Sandhagen, 10 years younger and current number seven in the ranking. A victory will put the Brazilian, once again, in a position to be able to dream of fighting for the belt, currently held by Henry Cejudo.

Raphael is currently third among the top 5, behind only Moraes, recently defeated by the champion (1st), and aljamain sterling, who will possibly challenge Cejudo in the future.