Stipe Miocic hasn’t fought since losing the UFC heavyweight championship at last year’s UFC 226.
Miocic was on a ridiculous six-fight win streak in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Three of those victories were successful title defenses, the most in UFC heavyweight championship history. However, he was not able to successfully defend it for a fourth time. Miocic and Daniel Cormier main evented UFC 226 last summer.
Despite looking like he was winning the bout early on, Miocic was knocked out late in the first round. He hasn’t fought since, instead focusing on the birth of his first child. Now, Miocic is eying a rematch with Cormier, who still reigns as heavyweight champion.
Speaking to MMA Fighting recently, Miocic discussed his defeat to Cormier. He admitted that Cormier didn’t hit harder than any of his past UFC opponents, such as knockout artist Francis Ngannou. Instead, “DC” just hit him on the right spot, at the right time:
“I felt like I was winning the fight,” Miocic said. “I felt like I kind of got off track of what I was doing, not doing my usual and listening to the game plan. And just kind of overstepped what I needed to do and he caught me with a punch — a punch I didn’t see.
“I’ll say to this day, he doesn’t hit as hard as [Francis] Ngannou. It was just right on the button, right where it needed to be. It wasn’t like he was wiping the floor with me. I just knew I was the better fighter in there.
“And let me tell you something, next time it happens, next time we fight, you’ll see a different fighter. A whole new me. A lot has changed.”
Cormier is currently nearing the end of his UFC career. It’s unlikely he’ll give Miocic a rematch with opponents like Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones in the mix. However, to think that Miocic has seen the last heavyweight title opportunity of his career would be foolish.
He’s still one of the best heavyweights of all-time, and will undoubtably remain in the title conversation for as long as he continues to fight.
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