The Cleveland Curse was recently broken.
You know, by Stipe Miocic.
Just weeks before LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers delivered the city its first major sports title since 1964, Cleveland-area native Miocic upset Fabricio Werdum to capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
On Wednesday, the heavyweight champ joined the new NBA champs during the Cavs‘ celebratory parade through downtown Cleveland.
And not only did he take part, he led the dang thing.
Miocic is more than just a son of northeast Ohio. Raised and still residing in and around the Cleveland suburbs of Euclid and Independence, Miocic played baseball at Cleveland State University before eventually transitioning to a career in MMA. He also works as a firefighter and paramedic in the Cleveland suburbs.
The Croatian-American scored a stirring first-round knockout of Werdum at UFC 198 to take home the heavyweight gold. The 33-year-old Miocic (15-2) is primarily known for his boxing but also wrestled while at Cleveland State, which is a D-I program.
The win over Werdum was the third straight for Miocic, and it ran his UFC record to 9-2.
Miocic is also an outspoken fan of all things Cleveland, including all Cleveland sports teams. After winning his championship, he gleefully tossed out the first pitch at a Cleveland Indians game.
He also cheered wildly on social media and elsewhere as the Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to knock off the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the seventh game of the NBA Finals.
James, a native of Akron, Ohio, was named Finals MVP and planted his flag as one of the very best pro basketball players ever and the biggest sports legend in Cleveland history since Jim Brown—and maybe ever.
Of course, James, Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith and the rest of the Cavs were the toast of the city on Wednesday and will likely remain so for some time to come. But it’s pretty cool that the organization and fans took the opportunity to celebrate Miocic, the real curse-breaker in Cleveland.
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