Although he hasn’t necessarily transcended the mixed martial arts world like some other titleholders have, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic’s recent run of success is something to take note of. The 34-year-old Ohio native has scored five straight T/KO victories over some of the very best heavyweights of all-time including Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski, Fabricio Werdum,
Although he hasn’t necessarily transcended the mixed martial arts world like some other titleholders have, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic’s recent run of success is something to take note of.
The 34-year-old Ohio native has scored five straight T/KO victories over some of the very best heavyweights of all-time including Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos. His last loss came in a back-and-forth slug fest with Dos Santos in 2014, but he has seemed to improve each time out since, which was shown in his rematch with “Cigano” this past weekend (May 13, 2017) at UFC 211, as Miocic dispatched the Brazilian in just over two minutes with a brutal right hand.
Clearly, Miocic is something special, but not every heavyweight feels that way. In fact, No. 5-ranked rising contender Francis Ngannou said earlier today (May 15, 2017) on The MMA Hour that he was ‘not impressed’ by Miocic:
“That was a good performance, but I’m not impressed,” Ngannou told Ariel Helwani. “I’m not impressed with him. [I’m more impressed] by Velasquez. I think Velasquez is the best heavyweight that we have. That’s why I want to fight him too.”
“I’m ranked number five right now,” he continued. “I’ll probably fight everyone right now. I already called out [Cain] Velasquez. He said he’s injured, but I’d like to fight him and just get the title shot.”
Mandatory Credit: Michael Adamucci-USA TODAY Sports
Velasquez, a former champion, is the only heavyweight ranked in the top four that Miocic has not yet fought, which is why many want to see the two face off, although Velasquez was scheduled to compete against Werdum this past December, but he was forced to withdraw with a back injury. A timetable for his return has not yet been announced.
While Ngannou, a French knockout artist possessing a 5-0 UFC record, expressed interest in a bout with Velasquez, he admitted that he would obviously accept a fight with Miocic if it were offered to him:
“Yes, that’s true.” he said when asked if he believed he was ready for Miocic. “That is one of my reasons for moving to Vegas. Right now, I’m ready for all challenges.”
“If they give me the opportunity, I will take it.”
Ngannou is coming off of an impressive first round knockout victory over former champion Andrei Arlovski this past January and “The Predator” seems focused on proving his doubters wrong:
“You will always have that kind of people,” he said of his skeptics. “[They say] ‘you’re not ready, you need to improve yourself, you need to learn more, Stipe is too tough,’ but until the fight [happens], no one will no for sure. I would like to get the fight.”
Would you give the 30-year-old contender a chance against Miocic?
UFC 211, which went down last night (May 13, 2017) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Dallas, Texas, was being billed as the biggest and baddest event of the year and it certainly lived up to the expectations that had been set for it, as it produced a plethora of exciting fights and finishes. The main
UFC 211, which went down last night (May 13, 2017) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Dallas, Texas, was being billed as the biggest and baddest event of the year and it certainly lived up to the expectations that had been set for it, as it produced a plethora of exciting fights and finishes.
The main attraction featured a heavyweight title rematch between champion Stipe Miocic and ex-titleholder Junior Dos Santos. The co-main event played host to a strawweight title fight between 115-pound queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Andrade.
The rest of the card featured pivotal fights as well, as top contenders faced off with major implications on the line.
Let’s take a look at six fights to make after UFC 211:
Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier Rematch:
A highly anticipated lightweight fight between exciting contenders Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier headlined the preliminary portion of UFC 211, although it didn’t end without controversy.
Alvarez, a former champion who hasn’t competed since losing his title in brutal fashion to Conor McGregor last November, was looking to bounce back against Poirier, who had won four of his last five up until that point. The two went back-and-forth throughout the first round, but things went south when Alvarez landed an illegal knee in the second round that forced referee Herb Dean to stop the bout and rule it a no contest.
Being that this bout had such high expectations surrounding it, it only seems right to run back and both fighters appeared to be interested in doing so.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Frankie Edgar vs. Ricardo Lamas:
At UFC 211, former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar reminded everyone that he is still an elite level featherweight, dominating red hot rising contender Yair Rodriguez over the course of two rounds before the bout was stopped between the second and third frames.
The win made it two straight for “The Answer” and he could campaign for another 145-pound title shot, although it’s unlikely he’ll receive one at this moment, especially if Jose Aldo beats Max Holloway next month. Edgar has already lost twice to Aldo.
With that being said, a bout between Edgar and No. 3-ranked Ricardo Lamas makes the most sense.
Lamas has won two of his last three bouts and he even called out Edgar on Twitter prior to “The Answer” being booked against Rodriguez. Edgar seemed interested in a fight with “The Bully” then and now it lands as the fight to make.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada USA Today Sports
Jorge Masvidal vs. Stephen Thompson:
Jorge Masvidal came up short in a title eliminator with Demian Maia on UFC 211’s main card, but he still put on a solid showing, picking Maia apart on the feet and avoiding the Brazilian’s submissions, albeit losing a split decision.
In his next fight, “Gamebred” should take on top contender and two-time title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
Thompson is coming off of back-to-back fights with champion Tyron Woodley, battling “The Chosen One” to a majority draw last November before suffering a decision loss to the champion in their rematch this past March. “Wonderboy”, however, still represents a big name in the sport and exciting fighter to watch at 170 pounds.
Masvidal and Thompson should do battle in a bout that could propel the victor back towards title contention.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Demian Maia vs. Tyron Woodley:
With his win over Masvidal, Maia extended his winning to streak to seven straight and he can no longer be denied a title shot. In fact, he kneeled before UFC President Dana White and asked for the shot after his win over Masvidal. White appeared to have granted him his wish.
A bout between Woodley and Maia not only makes sense from a rankings standpoint, but it is also an intriguing bout stylistically.
Woodley is an explosive and powerful fighter with brutal knockout power and a division one wrestling background. Maia, on the other hand, is arguably the very best submission artist to have ever competed inside of the Octagon, and although opponents know what’s coming, few have been able to stop it in recent memory.
It’ll be interesting to see which man can implement his game plan first when these two inevitably meet.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas:
Strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk defended her 115-pound title for the fifth consecutive time last night, winning every round in a one-sided decision victory over the tough but overmatched Jessica Andrade. “Joanna Champion” is now one win away from tying Ronda Rousey’s record of most consecutive title defenses made by a female fighter.
In her sixth defense, Jedrzejczyk should meet surging contender Rose Namajunas. The 24-year-old “Thug” Rose has won four of her last five bouts and is coming off of an impressive submission win over former Invicta champion Michelle Waterson. Namajunas has improved each and every time out and she may be able to supply “Joanna Champion” with a legitimate test.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Stipe Miocic vs. Cain Velasquez:
Stipe Miocic continued to establish himself as an all-time heavyweight great, scoring yet another first round knockout victory over Junior Dos Santos in the second defense of his heavyweight title.
In my opinion, there’s only one opponent who makes sense for Miocic next: ex-champion Cain Velasquez.
Velasquez was scheduled to compete against Fabricio Werdum in a title eliminator last December, but he was forced to withdraw with a back injury. He hasn’t competed since.
Werdum, on the other hand, will take on Alistair Overeem in July in a bout that could potentially produce the next title challenger, although Miocic has already scored first round stoppages over both Werdum and Overeem.
With that being said, Velasquez should be the next title challenger. A bout between him and Miocic would pit two well-rounded, elite level, athletic heavyweights against each other with a title on the line.
Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic took one step closer to making MMA history when he tied the all-time record for title defenses at the weight class when he finished longtime rival Junior dos Santos in the first round of the main event of last night’s (Sat., May 13, 2017) UFC 211 from the American Airlines Center in
Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic took one step closer to making MMA history when he tied the all-time record for title defenses at the weight class when he finished longtime rival Junior dos Santos in the first round of the main event of last night’s (Sat., May 13, 2017) UFC 211 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The champ did see some early adversity when he was repeatedly kicked in the shin, causing some swelling to open up on the champion’s leg. Perhaps knowing he was hurt, Miocic responded by pressuring dos Santos with a barrage of power punches, hitting “Cigano” with some huge ones on the fence to drop him.
The Brazilian former champion turtled and was done for, but for some reason Miocic was allowed to unload a completely unnecessary onslaught of ground and pound before referee Herb Dean stopped the bout.
Watch the full highlights of Miocic’s latest title defense right here:
This evening’s (Sat., May 13, 2017) UFC 211 is in the books from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, and two of MMA’s fastest-rising champions have retained their titles in dominant form. In the main event, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic tied the UFC record for most title defenses in the division with his second over
This evening’s (Sat., May 13, 2017) UFC 211 is in the books from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, and two of MMA’s fastest-rising champions have retained their titles in dominant form.
In the main event, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic tied the UFC record for most title defenses in the division with his second over Junior dos Santos, a bout where he gained revenge for his razor-thin loss to “Cigano” nearly two-and–half years ago with a first-round TKO win.
In the co-main, women’s strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk showed just how far above she is the rest of the 115-pound weigh class, destroying a game Jessica Andrade with a five-round display of nearly pinpoint technical striking prowess. For her part, the young Andrade was tough as nails despite being out of her league, as she never quit coming forward trying to land a big shot on the champion.
Watch the event’s post-fight presser starting shortly after the main card’s conclusion here:
It was rumored Demian Maia would battle Jorge Masvidal at April 22’s UFC Fight Night 108, but instead the pivotal 170-pound contest will happen on a suddenly packed pay-per-view (PPV) instead. News broke from MMA Junkie this afternoon (February 28, 2017) that surging No. 3-ranked Maia will face longtime veteran and No. 6-ranked Masvidal on the main
It was rumored Demian Maia would battle Jorge Masvidal at April 22’s UFC Fight Night 108, but instead the pivotal 170-pound contest will happen on a suddenly packed pay-per-view (PPV) instead.
News broke from MMA Junkie this afternoon (February 28, 2017) that surging No. 3-ranked Maia will face longtime veteran and No. 6-ranked Masvidal on the main card of May 11’s UFC 211 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The elite match-up will join two title bouts when heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic looks for his second title defense against former champion Junior dos Santos in a rematch of their grueling 2014 brawl, and dominant women’s strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk looks for her fifth in just over two years against dangerous contender Jessica Andrade.
Rounding out the card, former heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum will face Ben Rothwell in a top-level heavyweight bout which will also provide some backup should a main event participant be injured.
On a peerless five-fight win streak, Maia has the look of a championship threat and had previously said he’d wait for the title shot he believed he earned by submitting former interim champion Carlos Condit in the first round of his last fight. However, with a title rematch between Tyron Woodley and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson set for this weekend’s UFC 209 and Georges St-Pierre returning to the 170-pound fray later this year, Maia knows everything is light years away from guaranteed in the crowded UFC 170-pound landscape.
All he can do to further his case is continue dominating the top-ranked opponents they put in front of him.
