Cleveland is certainly on a roll when it comes to champions. The Cleveland Cavaliers are marching toward what very well may be their next NBA championship and the UFC's Heavyweight Champion, Stipe Miocic just successfully defended his UFC Heavyweight title for the second time against Junior Dos Santos, dropping Dos Santos for a knock out victory early in the first round and putting him in contention for one of the greatest heavy weights of all time.
Miocic-An Unassuming Champion
Born in Euclid, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland, Miocic is an American born Croatian and proud of it.
He grew up playing basketball, football, and pretty much any sport he could. He was always athletic, and when he attended Cleveland state he was a wrestling champion and a Golden Gloves Boxing champion. Mixed martial arts then came on his radar, and he began training and fighting MMA. He won his first five fights by a knock out. Miocic had found his niche when he found MMA.
Now, Miocic has been fighting for over seven years, and his evolution as a fighter is clear. Miocic has become a much better striker, his hands are faster, more accurate, and more powerful. His cardio training is on another level, boosting him from a normal heavyweight to an elite one, capable of pacing himself and managing his fight.
Miocic can go five rounds with no trouble now instead of burning himself out in the first couple rounds. His fight intelligence has grown as well: Miocic now fights smarter and more carefully while still fighting a forward and aggressive fight. In addition, Miocic has worked on his kicks and takedown defense, enabling him to control the fight and keep it standing, where he is comfortable and has the opportunity to knock out his opponent.
The Fight and Beyond
This was the second time Miocic and Dos Santos have met in the UFC Octagon. The first time they fought, Miocic lost in a unanimous decision. The fight was one that haunted Mioci,c and when the opportunity arose to fight Dos Santos again, this time in a UFC title defense, Miocic jumped at the chance. It took Miocic all of two minutes and twenty-two seconds to knock out Dos Santos.
All of the hard work, incessant drilling, and endless rounds of cardio had paid off and Miocic not only defeated his former foe, but also retained his belt in the process.
UFC analyst, Joe Rogan asked Miocic what was next on the agenda for the champion. There was no boasting or calling out of other fighters as is common now in post-fight interviews. Miocic simply answered that he needed to go home and finish his kitchen -- that he was remodeling it and would like to finish soon. The man that is being called the “Baddest Man on the Planet” was going home to work on his house, just like anyone else that had a to do list for the weekend. The champion that needs to defend his title only one more time to enter into the history books of the UFC and be called the Greatest is the most normal, unassuming champion of them all, a fact that makes him the Greatest already.
