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“Stone Cold” Stipe Miocic – A Trip Down the Memory Lane

Published 08/10/2020, 4:12 PM EDT

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Stipe Miocic currently leads in contention for the declaration of the Greatest Heavyweight Of All Time.

The king of the ‘Big Boys’ of UFC holds the record for the most consecutive title defenses in the promotion. Come Saturday, the conclusion to his trilogy with Daniel Cormier will end the Heavyweight GOATonce and for all.

Let us take a tour through the history of Stipe’s career to relive the moments that put him at the top of the mountain.

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1. The debut against Joey Beltran

Stipe Miocic became a part of the UFC roster in 2011, with his first bout as part of the promotion occurring on October 8.

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In his first stint, he went up against the veteran Joey Beltran. Their fight lasted the entirety of 3 rounds. Bruce Buffer announced a unanimous decision victory for the newcomer, Stipe Miocic.

In his debut itself, he showcased his prowess both on the ground and in stand-up. In addition to out-striking the ‘Mexicutioner’, Miocic also landed four out of his seven takedowns.

2. Miocic vs Arlovski

Stipe Miocic vs Andrei Arlovski is regarded as one of the fights after which fighters, fans, and perhaps everyone in the industry knew that ‘Stone Cold‘ was trouble.

Arlovski was riding a 4 fight win streak within the UFC before he clashed with Miocic. In fact, he was fresh off a UD victory against Heavyweight veteran Frank Mir. Thus, he was a huge challenge in the way of Stipe’s championship pursuit.

However, the bout did not and up being as challenging as one would expect. In a performance that shook the world, Miocic knocked out ‘The Pitbull’ in under a minute of the first round with the help of a huge right hand to the jaw of Andrei.

This set Miocic up for his shot at the UFC Heavyweight title.

3. And NEW!

Miocic finally got the title shot that he had been aching to get. And the challenge of a lifetime came in the form of a legend that few could get past in that point of time- None other than ‘Vai Cavalo’, Fabricio Werdum.

Werdum was riding a 6-fight win streak at the time he faced Miocic. He had remained undefeated since 2011 up to that fatal day on May 14, 2016.

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As dynamic as the moment was for Stipe, he came in with frantic determination and the will to fulfill his objective. And he made sure to do so in his classic style.

The fight started with Werdum pushing the offensive. However, that strategy did not bode well for the Brazilian as Miocic capitalized on Werdum’s aggression.

As Werdum rushed in for a flurry of punches, Miocic countered with a jaw-breaking right hand to Werdum’s face, sending him crashing down into the canvas. A streak that lasted over 5 years came to a screeching halt within 3 minutes.

And thus came the era of Stipe Miocic, a heavyweight king.

4. Avenging his loss: Stipe Miocic vs Junior dos Santos

Before becoming champion, Stipe lost out on two occasions. While one of the losses came at the hands of Dutch giant Stefan Struve, the other came at the hands of Heavyweight veteran, Junior dos Santos.

Nevertheless, Stipe bounced back from the loss and went on to realize his championship dreams. The crossroads of destiny, however, were not quite done with the pairing.

In his second title defense, Miocic yet again locked horns with ‘Cigano’ with an opportunity at redemption. And he grasped the opportunity with both hands.

While their first fight went the length of 5 rounds to the judges’ scorecards, Miocic took matters into his own hands this time. In yet another Miocic classic, the Champion delivered a first-round KO, thus avenging his loss and marking his second title defense a huge success.

Reclaiming Heavyweight gold: Stipe Miocic vs Daniel Cormier 2

After breaking the record for most consecutive title defenses in the heavyweight division, Miocic lost his title out to Light Heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier.

The loss came as a hard-hitting phase of harsh reality for Miocic. Nevertheless, the flame of determination never faltered in the warrior-heart of Stipe. He came back with his eyes set on what DC took away from him and looked as impeccable as ever.

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Even though he suffered eye pokes very similar to their first fight, he did not let his concentration waver. He waited for the moment to unleash his fury, and that came about in the fourth round.

With Cormier beginning to gas out and ease the relentless pressure, Miocic got the opening he needed. Striking when the iron was hot, Miocic dished out crackling body shots followed by strikes to the head to put an end to Cormier’s Heavyweight dreams.

 

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Now, he returns after a year of inaction to conclude the greatest trilogy of all time: Cormier vs Miocic 3. Who do you think will emerge the GOAT of the Heavyweight division? Let us know in the comments section!

Source: UFC – Ultimate Fighting Championship on YouTube

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Written by:

Deepit Sharma

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