Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic may be without a UFC belt, but he earned quite the accolade recently away from the cage.
Miocic lost his heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou back at UFC 260 last year and hasn’t returned to competition since. He’s planning a return to the cage for later this year and has been linked to a potential fight with Jon Jones.
But Miocic is also a busy man away from MMA. During his downtime in between fights, he has served as a local firefighter in his home state of Ohio. Miocic took another step in that career path when he was sworn in as a full-time firefighter in Westlake, OH.
Miocic and two other firefighter candidates were celebrated in a City of Westlake ceremony on Tuesday. He had to complete several rounds of testing this past weekend to earn full-time status.
Stipe Miocic’s Timetable For A UFC Return Is Uncertain
Miocic had served in a part-time role for several fire departments in the Cleveland, OH area.
Miocic has been linked to a potential fight with Jones ever since Jones sent out a tweet teasing a matchup between the light heavyweight and heavyweight “GOATs”. While nothing has been announced or rumored to be in negotiation, UFC president Dana White has expressed interest in the fight taking place.
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is expected to miss a substantial amount of time as he recovers from knee surgery. He could return at the end of the year but the UFC may opt for an interim title fight between Miocic and Jones.
Once Miocic is done with fighting, he seems to have a secure position lined up back home. For now, he continues to work his way towards a return to the octagon in 2022.
Who do you want to see Stipe Miocic fight next?