Stipe Miocic will try to defeat UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier next month at UFC 226. To help him do that, he’s enlisted the services of Bellator light heavyweight titleholder Ryan Bader.

Miocic (18-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) attempts to defend his UFC heavyweight strap for the fourth time when he meets Cormier (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) on July 7 in UFC 226’s pay-per-view headliner. It’s a massive fight for Miocic’s legacy, and he’s apparently doing everything he can to ensure he has the best chance of winning the champ-vs.-champ bout.

In this scenario, that means bringing in Bader (25-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who, like Cormier, is an acting 205-pound champ going for a heavyweight belt. Bader recently advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator heavyweight grand prix, and if he wins, he’ll become a simultaneous two-division champion.

With a wrestling base and a lot of power in his hands, Bader has a skill set comparable to Cormier’s. For that reason, it’s not hard to see why Miocic decided to bring “Darth” into his camp for the Las Vegas bout (via <a href=" It's no surprise Bader, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light heavyweight rankings, would want to help Miocic defeat No. 2-ranked Cormier. Bader was scheduled to fight Cormier at UFC Fight Night 68 in June 2015, but the bout ultimately fell apart.

Additionally, Bader and Cormier got into a heated press-conference confrontation following UFC 187 in May 2015.

Whether Bader’s decision to work with Miocic is at all personal toward Cormier remains to be seen. However, it would be hard to dispute that Bader would like to see Cormier lose at UFC 226 so his chances of becoming the first to simultaneously hold light heavyweight and heavyweight gold in a major organization stay alive.

For more on UFC 226, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.