Prime Cain vs. Stipe - Who wins?

[Combat Wombatt]

I'm not a Cain fan but I'll admit the guy could have been the best HW ever. He sabotaged his own career by using idiotic weight training methods that a high schooler would know used improper form and technique blowing out his knees and ruining his career when he was in his prime. Cain has solid striking with great wrestling, cardio, and a decent chin. I'd say his chin is very good but not an iron chin and he has great recovery. I wouldn't say Cain has the vicious GnP of say a Jon Jones but he's got good GnP.

Stipe has very good boxing doesn't use nearly as many kicks, almost no high kicks that I can recall, solid wrestling, good cardio, good chin, and decent GnP. I say decent GnP because I think many other HW fighters would have put the exhausted Ngannou away when he had him lying on the ground. Stipe may have been playing it safe but he could have ended it in the 5th round.

Kicks could be the difference and only Cain really uses high ones. Neither is known for a brutal leg kicking game.

This would really have been a great fight. Two solid collegiate wrestlers who have solid striking and good to great cardio. Very similar fighters actually too, neither is a proven 1 punch KO fighter like a Hunt and neither is a ground wizard like a Werdum.



So, who takes this fight in their primes, Cain or Stipe?


Note, I think a prime DC takes Cain and I think DC takes Stipe too.

 

[ScarletnGray 33]

Prime pre-USADA Cain?

 

[FrontNakedChoke]

Stipe murders him.

 

[KingBeef]

The fans.

 

[Tamriel Terror]

I'm taking Stipe. He has great boxing, counters, cardio, solid grappling, and great fight iq.

I think its a bad matchup for Cain and his striking defense was never great, so I see Stipe ko'ing him when he comes in aggressive.

 

[Tuf_guy]

Idunno, missed Cain's prime during my MMA blackout period of 2011-2014, but Cain in the form he was in against Travis Browne would be a problem.

 

[executionermma]

Stipe destroys him, Cain's stand up is overrated and his game always had many holes, he was able to get away with that because he kept fighting the same guys over and over again, but when someone legit came with a new skillset he got outclassed and outworked. Cain beat like 5 or 6 good fighters, Stipe has twice his accomplishments and they're about the same age.

 

[BRaVo cHoKe]

Prime Cain is a myth

An illusion that never really existed

​

 

[wilKO]

The guy who has more than 4 top 10 wins against different people in his entire career.

 

[Oj21]

Cain easily.. and I'm not one of those people who even think cains that great. I like stipe but something has to be said that he's fought older guys with a massive amount of wear and tear on them and ngannou who who little experience and basically doesn't know what wrestling is. Plus look how quickly he gassed against ngannou, you can't do that with cain

 

[kenetics]

I'm taking Stipe. He has great boxing, counters, cardio, solid grappling, and great fight iq.

I think its a bad matchup for Cain and his striking defense was never great, so I see Stipe ko'ing him when he comes in aggressive.

Stripe has horrible defense too lol. Cain cardio would give stripe alot of problems.

 

[kenetics]

Stipe destroys him, Cain's stand up is overrated and his game always had many holes, he was able to get away with that because he kept fighting the same guys over and over again, but when someone legit came with a new skillset he got outclassed and outworked. Cain beat like 5 or 6 good fighters, Stipe has twice his accomplishments and they're about the same age.

Destroy? Struve who was and is the worst HW on the roster tko stripe lol. Cain and DC are capable of doing the same. Gtfo lol.

 

[Nobru]

Stipe destroys him, Cain's stand up is overrated and his game always had many holes, he was able to get away with that because he kept fighting the same guys over and over again, but when someone legit came with a new skillset he got outclassed and outworked. Cain beat like 5 or 6 good fighters, Stipe has twice his accomplishments and they're about the same age.

Wtf you talking about. His 2 losses: a bomb from jds at his impressive run (who was then murked by cain himself twice) and that fight against doom. Thats it.

Stipe is a good fighter but average everywhere.

Cain would completely overwhelm him.

I would say prime cain would win 9 out of 10 against stipe

 

[executionermma]

Destroy? Struve who was and is the worst HW on the roster tko stripe lol. Cain and DC are capable of doing the same. Gtfo lol.

We are talking about prime, 2017/18 Stipe, not this green version that was still learning and improving

prime Stipe destroys prime Cain, simple as that

 

[Combat Wombatt]

Stipe destroys him, Cain's stand up is overrated and his game always had many holes, he was able to get away with that because he kept fighting the same guys over and over again, but when someone legit came with a new skillset he got outclassed and outworked. Cain beat like 5 or 6 good fighters, Stipe has twice his accomplishments and they're about the same age.

Cain's kicking could make up for his lesser boxing.

 

[yougetKTFO]

Well Cormier stipe will pretty well tell you what you need to hear. I think DC takes it too. But it will be a similar representation to how cain would've done.

 

[MMAfanJabroniJew]

Prime pre-USADA Cain?

 

[MMAfanJabroniJew]

Cain was a force unlike anything i've seen since prime Fedor ..... i think he beats Stipe in the late rounds.

 

[Gambit MMA]

Cain’s got better cardio and wrestling, stipe better striking with more KO power and is probably the stronger guy. It’s a pick em fight

 

[FreddieRoachsVoice]

I'd pick Cain. Even in his modern day zombie state, JDS managed to get past Stipe (and not by flash KO) so I think Cain would brutalize him.

People are really riding high on Stipe breaking the "record" but really, it was 2 defenses... not exactly Fedor's streak over here. Stipe is the best right now but wins over glass chin Reem, even more zombified JDS, and a wrestling win over a totally unproven Ngannou are not all they are cracked up to me IMO.

I am more critical of Cain's division ruining injury/rematch era than anyone but the fact remains that when he was healthy, he was extremely dangerous. I haven't seen Stipe fight anyone with high level offensive wrestling/pressure to convince me that he could handle that and IMO, his chin wouldn't hold up. Cain via TKO in less than 2 rounds