Stipe Miocic: ‘Cleveland’s Next Best Hope for a Champion’ [VIDEO]

There’s a lot you might not know about Stipe Miocic, the undefeated heavyweight contender who faces Stefan Struve in tomorrow’s UFC on FUEL 5 main event. He’s American, for one thing, so there’s no need to slow-talk him like he’s some kind of immigrant, as Chael Sonnen mistakenly did once after a fight. Like Chris Lytle before him, Miocic has kept his day job as a firefighter despite making it to MMA’s largest stage. His last name is pronounced “me-OH-chitch.” And he’s a proud resident of Cleveland — home of the perpetually cursed Browns and Indians — which means that bringing a title to his hometown would mean a hell of a lot.

This video profile from Chris Van Vliet of WOIO-TV reveals the man behind the knockouts, showing Miocic as a hungry, blue-collar dude, with a bit of a goofy streak and tremendous athletic capabilities. (Legit ‘WTF?’ @ that inverted pull-up at 2:12-2:13.) Though he still has some ground to travel before he gets a title shot, he already has his mind set on the ultimate goal: “I want to be remembered as a guy from Cleveland that brought home a championship, you know, break that curse. The first thing I would do is bring that belt home and walk through Cleveland and say ‘we did it’.”

There’s a lot you might not know about Stipe Miocic, the undefeated heavyweight contender who faces Stefan Struve in tomorrow’s UFC on FUEL 5 main event. He’s American, for one thing, so there’s no need to slow-talk him like he’s some kind of immigrant, as Chael Sonnen mistakenly did once after a fight. Like Chris Lytle before him, Miocic has kept his day job as a firefighter despite making it to MMA’s largest stage. His last name is pronounced “me-OH-chitch.” And he’s a proud resident of Cleveland — home of the perpetually cursed Browns and Indians — which means that bringing a title to his hometown would mean a hell of a lot.

This video profile from Chris Van Vliet of WOIO-TV reveals the man behind the knockouts, showing Miocic as a hungry, blue-collar dude, with a bit of a goofy streak and tremendous athletic capabilities. (Legit ‘WTF?’ @ that inverted pull-up at 2:12-2:13.) Though he still has some ground to travel before he gets a title shot, he already has his mind set on the ultimate goal: “I want to be remembered as a guy from Cleveland that brought home a championship, you know, break that curse. The first thing I would do is bring that belt home and walk through Cleveland and say ‘we did it’.”