Stipe Miocic is looking to shake things up in the heavyweight division in a major way at UFC on Fox 13. And it’s an opportunity he’s been chasing for the better part of the year.
The former two-sport standout from Cleveland State University began his 2014 campaign by notching a victory over former title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga when the UFC returned to Chicago back in January. The Brazilian grappling ace has played the unofficial role of gatekeeper to the upper ranks of the heavyweight fold, and Miocic was able to use his superior boxing skills and wrestling to outwork “Napao” en route to a unanimous-decision victory at UFC on Fox 10.
Yet, while defeating Gonzaga was a big addition to Miocic‘s resume, when the UFC came to offer a bout with former champion Junior dos Santos, everything shifted up a notch in the 32-year-old Ohio native’s career. “Cigano” has been one of the top two heavyweights in the world for the past three years—fighting was either champion or challenger in the majority of his bouts during that span—and stepping into the Octagon with “JDS” would automatically put Miocic on the title radar.
And with the heavyweight championship his ultimately destination, it was precisely the caliber of fight Miocic wanted.
That said, MMA is a chaotic sport, and the road to his showdown with the former champion hit more than a few snags. Where they were originally set to square off at UFC 173 in May, the bout was shifted to the main event of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 Finale on May 31. Things would take a more severe turn when dos Santos was forced to pull out of the bout with an injury, and the promotion tapped resilient light heavyweight slugger Fabio Maldonado to step up a weight class and face Miocic.
While it was nowhere near the fight he wanted, Miocic is in the fight game to handle business, and that’s exactly what he did by knocking out the Brazilian Brawler inside of the one minute mark. Just as it should have been, Miocic put on a quick and dominant performance to pick up his third consecutive victory and bring his running total of successful showings to 11 out of his last 12.
Furthermore, the UFC rewarded his diligence for remaining on the Brazilian card by giving him the fight he had wanted all along, and the bout with Dos Santos was rescheduled for UFC on Fox 13 on Dec. 13 in Phoenix, Arizona. Now, with the stakes set exactly where he wants them to be, Miocic is going into his bout with the heavy-handed knockout artist looking to end Dos Santos’ time as a title threat, and carve out his own place in the heavyweight championship picture.
“It was great to get this fight back because this is the fight I’ve wanted for a long time,” Miocic told Bleacher Report. “It is a fight he wanted as well, but unfortunately he got hurt. He’s ready to go now and I couldn’t be happier. My goal at the end of the day is to become the heavyweight champion and he’s standing in the way of that happening. I have to take him out.
“There was a chance I wouldn’t get this fight back and it’s definitely something I thought about. There are a lot of variables in this business and you never really know how things are going to play out. Maldonado is a tough guy and that fight could have been a lose/lose for me. If I would have lost that fight, I would have dropped way down in the rankings and lost all the momentum I had going, but I did what I finished it quick and got out of there. I did what I was supposed to do.
“I couldn’t be more pumped than I am right now for this fight,” he added. “Iv’e been training hard, have a great game plan and I’m firing on all cylinders right now. I feel fantastic and I’m facing a guy who is a former champion and the No. 2 ranked fighter in the world. But it’s my time now. I can’t wait, man. I wish this fight was tomorrow.”
When Miocic enters the Octagon to face dos Santos he fully understands the capabilities of the man he’ll be trading leather with. To date, eight out of the 10 victories the Nova Uniao representative has earned under the UFC banner have come by settling the opposition in abrupt and punishing fashion. The only two men to go the distance with Dos Santos outside of his two title fights with Cain Velasquez were Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin. They were both roughed up for the majority of their 15 minutes inside the cage with Dos Santos.
Yet, while the perennial contender is undoubtedly one of the most feared knockout artists in the heavyweight ranks, Miocic has a massive amount of confidence in his own boxing skills. Where dos Santos prefers to sit down on his power punches, Miocic employs a movement-heavy style that has given other power punchers he’s faced fits inside the Octagon.
Once the cage door closes on Saturday night, Miocic plans to keep the former heavyweight king on his toes and not let him off the proverbial hook until the final bell sounds.
“I think my versatility is going to be a big factor in this fight,” Miocic said. “Of course he wants me to stand there and bang with him and just trade off, but I have a lot of other weapons. I do wrestle and I can grapple and do a lot of things he’s not used to seeing. But we’ll see what happens. I’m going to be ready to fight and I’ll be ready for whatever comes my way.
“My footwork will also play a factor. It’s been a major focus of this camp and working my coaches to keep him at range and to keep him guessing. You have to keep moving which a lot of his past opponents haven’t done. You stand in front of that guy and let him tee off on you then it’s going to be a short night. I’ve prepared properly and we have an excellent game plan coming into this fight.
“I’m looking to end this year on a good note and a win in this fight is the way to do it,” he added. “I’ve been training my ass off my entire life and I’ve taken the right path. You have to crawl before you walk and I did that by taking baby steps early on and taking bigger and bigger fights. This is the biggest fight yet and I couldn’t be more ready for it. On Dec. 13 I’m coming for Junior dos Santos and I’m coming to get the victory.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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