So, I got thinking about Stipe Miocic the other day. Saw some chatter online, people throwing around names for the best heavyweights ever, and Stipe’s name just wasn’t popping up as much as I thought it should. It kind of bugged me, you know? Made me wonder if people forget, or just don’t rate him properly.
I decided to actually sit down and go through his journey again, my own way. Didn’t just look at stats, I wanted to relive it a bit. So, I fired up the old fight pass account.
Digging into the Fights
First thing I did was just pull up his main fights. Not just the wins, the losses too. Looked at the timeline.
- Fought Hunt when Hunt was still dangerous. Took a beating but kept coming.
- Knocked out Arlovski, quick.
- Went to Brazil, hostile crowd, knocked out Werdum cold for the title. Remember that? Crazy moment.
- Then the defenses started piling up. Overeem, Dos Santos (avenged that loss), Ngannou the first time.
That first Ngannou fight, man. Everyone was terrified of Francis. Stipe just went out there, weathered the early storm, used his wrestling, his clinch work, completely shut him down. Wasn’t flashy, but pure tactics and grit.
The DC Trilogy
Then came the Daniel Cormier fights. That trilogy was something else. Okay, he got knocked out in the first one. Caught him clean. Happens in heavyweight MMA. But what impressed me was how he came back.
This is where I really started thinking he’s underrated. Second fight, he was losing again. DC was piecing him up early. Then, Stipe and his corner made the adjustment. Started digging those body shots. You could see it drain DC. Then the finish came. That wasn’t luck, that was smarts and toughness.
Third fight, another war, but Stipe had figured him out. Controlled the distance better, used his size, got the win. To beat a guy like DC twice after getting knocked out? That’s championship stuff right there.
Why the Lack of Hype?
So I started wondering, why doesn’t he get the same buzz as some others? My thoughts:
- He’s quiet. Not a big trash talker. Doesn’t create drama outside the cage. He’s a firefighter, seems like a regular dude. Maybe that doesn’t sell as well?
- His style isn’t always flashy. Solid boxing, good wrestling, great cardio, high fight IQ. But he’s not doing spinning stuff or throwing one-hitter quitters every single time like Ngannou. He grinds guys down sometimes.
- People remember the KOs. Maybe the image of him getting knocked out by DC and Ngannou (in the rematch) sticks in people’s minds more than his dominant title reign. Heavyweight title defenses are rare, and he set the record.
I spent a good chunk of time just rewatching rounds, looking at how he handled different styles. Werdum’s BJJ, Overeem’s striking, JDS’s boxing, Ngannou’s power, DC’s wrestling and dirty boxing. He found ways to win against all of them during his prime.
Finished my little review session feeling pretty strongly about it. Went back through my own notes and memories. The guy beat legends, defended the belt more times than any other UFC heavyweight, came back from adversity. He just worked, did his job. Maybe that’s why he gets overlooked. He wasn’t trying to be a superstar, just the best fighter. For my money, looking back at the actual record and the fights themselves, Stipe Miocic is seriously, seriously underrated in the grand scheme of things.
