5 burning questions heading into UFC 252

One of the greatest trilogies in mixed martial arts history has its final chapter Saturday night when Stipe Miocic defends his heavyweight championship against Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 252.

Cormier (22-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC), who plans on retiring after the fight, defeated Miocic (19-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) by first-round knockout in 2018 at UFC 226 to win the heavyweight title at a time when he already held the light heavyweight belt. Miocic regained the championship in a grueling four-round war one year later at UFC 241. Neither competitor has fought since.

This is one of those occasions when the main event alone is worth the price of the pay-per-view. Which is good, because this isn’t the deepest card, although the co-main event does feature the next step in “The Suga Show,” with Sean O’Malley taking on Marlon Vera in a bantamweight matchup worth watching.

UFC 252 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

Without further ado, here are five burning questions heading into UFC 252.