Stipe Miocic has his mind set on getting a shot at the UFC heavyweight title. So much in fact, it’s the only thing he’s willing to think about for his next step.
“I want to fight for the title,” Miocic told Bleacher Report. “It want to fight Fabricio Werdum in my next fight, and I think I deserve it. I’ve fought the best guys in the world, and I’ve beat the best guys in the world. The fight with Junior [dos Santos] didn’t go my way, but there were a lot of people who thought I won. I’m sure plenty of people also thought I lost, and you can’t let fights go to the judges, but I came back in my next fight and beat the guy ranked fifth in our division and broke the record for strikes landed doing it.
“Beating a tough guy like I did in the fashion I did it says something. And it says that it’s my time now. I want to fight for that title and I’ll wait for it if I have to. I think I deserve it.”
While newly minted champion Fabricio Werdum has publicly addressed the situation and shown little interest in facing the hard-hitting Ohio native, that won’t stop Miocic‘s campaign for his cause in the slightest. He understands resurgent contender Andrei Arlovski is also up for consideration as well, but the Cleveland representative is adamant the former champion from Belarus hasn’t done what he’s done to earn the next shot at the heavyweight crown.
“Listen man, Andrei Arlovski is a tough guy, but he hasn’t fought the caliber of opponents I’ve been fighting,” Miocic said. “My last five fights have all come against top-10-ranked opponents, with three of them being ranked in the top five. Fabio Maldonado jumped up to heavyweight for our fight, and while he wasn’t ranked, he is a super-tough dude and had never been knocked out before. I knocked him out quick, but the challenges I’ve faced seem never-ending.
“I fought one former champion and two title contenders. I think I have a good resume to earn a title shot, and I’m going to plead my case for it. That’s what I want.”
The 32-year-old former standout wrestler and baseball player from Cleveland State University has won four of his past five showings, with his only setback coming against recent titleholder Junior dos Santos in a five-round war at UFC on Fox 13. Miocic went toe-to-toe with Cigano throughout the 25-minute affair only to come out on the losing end of a hard-fought unanimous decision against the Brazilian knockout artist in a fight widely regarded to be one of the best scraps in heavyweight history.
He wasted no time getting back on track in his next fight as he put a lopsided beating on former interim title challenger Mark Hunt at Fight Night 65. It had been years since anyone manhandled The Super Samoan in such fashion, and Miocic made it look effortless. Where the UFC heavyweight division once struggled to find talent, the current landscape reflects a divisional picture arguably stronger than any time previously in UFC history.
This is something Miocic knows all too well, as he’s squared off with some of the most dangerous strikers and grapplers in the upper tier of his weight class.
“Doesn’t that suck?” Miocic laughed. “Either they are great fighters or they have amazing chins. I’ve hit some of these guys with huge shots, and they are still standing there. In the fight with Junior both of us came out of that one looking rough. In the fight with Hunt, all I can say is it was a good night for me. I’m happy to get out of there without taking too much damage, and I’d take that every time.”
With a solid track record behind him, Miocic wants to face Werdum for the heavyweight strap. The Team Strong Style fighter wants to prove he has what it takes to become a UFC champion because that’s been the goal long before he ever stepped foot inside the Octagon for the first time back in 2011.
His dream of winning a world title has been his biggest source of motivation during his climb up the heavyweight ranks, and it has kept him working diligently to ensure he’ll be ready when the opportunity comes his way.
“There is still so much room for me to get better. Everyone in this sport evolves so quickly. You could take six months off and come back to a totally different game. That’s why I’m always in the gym working. Even if I don’t have a fight lined up I’m still in there working to improve my overall game. That’s how you have to be in this sport right now.
“You have to put in the work every day to make sure you are a better fighter than you were the last time out. That’s been my mentality this entire time, and it’s always going to be that way.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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