UFC 203 marked a historic night in the promotion as an event from the heavyweight headliner would bring about a significant change. Stipe Miocic defended his gold strap against veteran contender Alistair Overeem on the marquee of a stacked card in Cleveland.

The post-fight interview however would be remembered more by the MMA community than the fight itself.

The bout was significant as it marked the beginning of Miocic’s record-setting run for most consecutive title defenses. Moreover, he managed to display his gritty fighting spirit when faced with adversity as offered by ‘The Demolition Man’.

As Stipe Miocic readies himself to face his toughest test in Daniel Cormier, one last time, let’s take a look at a defining night in his career.

UFC 203: Stipe Miocic x Alistair Overeem

The heavyweight clash for the undisputed gold lasted for all of one round, with plenty of back-and-forth action. Additionally, the hectic round is still considered as Miocic’s biggest test of will under the bright lights of the cage.

Chiefly, his ability to hold his nerve under trying circumstances further endeared him to the MMA world.

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Overeem started off the bout strong and managed to stun the champion early with his patented precision striking. Furthermore, he chased a guillotine choke after dropping the future Hall of Famer and had him in trouble.

Miocic managed to weather the storm and defended the choke intelligently.

Not to mention, he turned the tide in the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The orthodox striker ended up knocking out Alistair Overeem from mount position with a series of well-placed right hands.

The Dutchman’s head rocked back and forth off the canvas as he briefly lost consciousness during his bid for the belt.

Alistair Overeem speaks out

The events that followed will live down in infamy as it is just as bizarre as it was a historic moment. In a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Overeem mentioned how he felt Miocic tap to the aforementioned guillotine choke.

“Stipe was the better man today. He’s a great athlete, he’s tough, he always comes to fight. There’s one thing I can say about the fight: I believe when I punched him and he went down, I followed him, I got him in a guillotine choke, and I clearly felt a tap.

“The ref didn’t see it, the ref didn’t jump in, so the fight continued. But in my opinion, he tapped and it’s a bummer and we’re going to have to go back to the drawing board.

“I think I’m the better fighter, but not today.”

Joe Rogan infamously called for an instant replay that didn’t produce any signs of Stipe Miocic submitting. The crowd got behind the hometown champion and began vehemently booing the challenger.

Chiefly, Overeem’s confused expression added another odd narrative in a night of bizarre occurrences.

Joe Rogan later tweeted out his belief that fighters should no longer be interviewed after suffering a knockout. Moreover, this suggestion would be knitted into the culture going forward, as concussed fighters were no longer interviewed henceforth.

Additionally, the narrative from the post-fight oddities went a long way in overshadowing Miocic’s performance. He displayed his patented toughness and proved why he’s the reigning king of the talent-stacked weight class.

WATCH- UFC 203 Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem Octagon Interview

SOURCE- Joe Rogan- Twitter, MMA Junkie, UFC YouTube