Stipe Miocic Ready to Take On Whoever Wants to Challenge for His UFC Heavyweight Title
Only days removed from defeating Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 252, Stipe Miocic is more than just the reigning, defending UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is now the baddest man on the planet.
“I guess I am,” Miocic said sheepishly. “At least that’s what everyone is telling me. Maybe I am, but I’m still fourth on the ladder in my house behind my wife, my daughter, and my dog.”
The humble Miocic captured the attention of the fight world this weekend with a triumphant performance against Cormier, sending a legend of the Octagon into retirement. But the celebration is tempered, which is fitting for Miocic, especially with the likes of Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou impatiently awaiting shots at the title.
Heavy lies the crown, and Jones has made no secret that the time is finally right for a move to heavyweight. He vacated the Light Heavyweight Championship on Monday, tweeting the equivalent of telling Miocic to sleep with one eye open and grip his pillow tight.
“Everyone wants a piece of me, but that just shows I’m doing something right,” said Miocic. “I don’t mind having a bullseye on my back, I’m OK with it. I train hard and love what I do.”
Miocic was asked if he would accept a fight with Jones, considered by many to be the greatest fighter in the world.
“I don’t shy away from any fight,” said Miocic. “It doesn’t matter who it is, I’ll fight anyone.”
The greatest of all-time discussion is subjective, and it is incredibly difficult to pick one definitive fighter to stand atop that mantle. Yet, if Miocic can rattle off victories in upcoming fights against Jones and Ngannou, then perhaps Fedor Emelianenko will send his greetings from Russia to pass the torch to Miocic.
“It’s awkward to say, but I believe it,” said Miocic when asked if he is the greatest heavyweight of all-time. “I’ve done a lot in the division, defended the belt more times than anyone else. A lot of people are saying it, so I’ll go with it.”
Miocic is not the most charismatic promo in all of MMA, but there is no questioning his skill and effectiveness in the cage. He has won eight of his last nine fights against the top heavyweights in the world, four of which have been successful defenses of the title. He separated himself from Cormier in the closing moments of the second round, nearly ending the trilogy with a vicious TKO.
“He got me pretty good right behind the ear at the end of the first round,” said Miocic. “I was fine, but that rocked me a little bit. I was just trying to pick my shots with my right hand [in the second round]. I dropped him, but there was only 10 seconds left, which sucked. If I had a little bit longer, I probably could have finished him. I started getting more comfortable and finding more openings after the round.”
The defeat sends Cormier into retirement, though it certainly does not deface his brilliant career. Had a few more shots connected, Miocic is aware that the five-round fight could have had a different outcome.
“He definitely hit me with some good shots,” said Miocic. “I don’t care who you are, it hurts when you get punched. It has a lot to do with conditioning and seeing the shots. It’s the shots you don’t see that get you hurt.
“Daniel brings it every time and leaves it all in the Octagon. Every second of the fight, he’s trying to take you out. I have so much respect for him. He’s an amazing ambassador for the sport and commentator. I wish I could talk like him.”
The fight was not without a controversy, which took place in the closing moments of the third round. Miocic poked Cormier in his already swollen left eye, which went unnoticed by referee Marc Goddard, leaving him with a torn cornea only two rounds removed from Cormier poking Miocic in the eye. Miocic was asked if too much is being made of the eye poke.
“I didn’t realize I did it until I looked at the monitor between the third and fourth round,” said Miocic. “I felt terrible about it.”
The fight continued for two more rounds, going the distance. Miocic was confident he’d done enough to win, but the feeling of doubt crept into his stomach when his fate was handed to the judges.
“When it goes to the judges, you just never know,” admitted Miocic. “Then I heard 49-46 twice, and I knew I had it. And I can tell you exactly how I felt when that Heavyweight title was wrapped around my waist: I felt tired.
“That’s when I finally let go. There will be no more fights with Cormier, that was the trilogy. A lot happened in the past three years. I was champ, I wasn’t, I got the belt back, we had a baby girl, we’re in a pandemic. There has been a lot going on, and there was so much relief when my hand was raised.”
Miocic celebrated the victory at dinner with his wife, and made time to call his mother and father.
“I wanted to FaceTime my daughter, but it was just too late,” said Miocic. “My wife was waiting for me at the hotel, and we decompressed. It was a long week.”
The firefighter from Independence, Ohio, now returns to a life altogether different than the one he just escaped in Las Vegas. Instead of giving interviews and headlining a pay-per-view, he will slip back into his house and return to normalcy. His nights will be interrupted by the intermittent sleep pattern of his two-year-old daughter, and the baddest man in the world will be changing diapers, filling bottles, and receiving the playful (verbal) jabs of his fellow firefighters.
A comfort level sets in as Heavyweight Champion, a reason why the journey is so much lengthier than the destination. While Miocic reigns supreme as the UFC’s top heavyweight, challengers like Jones and Ngannou remain hungry and await their shot at the champ.
The possibility exists that Miocic will defend the belt to close out the year or kick off a slate of fights in the new year with a title defense. On a sleepy afternoon in Ohio, he vowed to be prepared for whatever comes next.
“It’s not up to me, it’s up to the UFC,” said Miocic. “I’ll be ready.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
