Stipe Miocic cements legacy as the greatest heavyweight of all time
On Saturday night, Stipe Miocic successfully defended his heavyweight title after a hard-fought match. Stipe won the unanimous decision and laid claim to the title of the greatest heavyweight in UFC history.
The narrative leading up to the fight stated that the winner of the trilogy match would be considered the greatest heavyweight of all time.
Although Stipe won the trilogy fight, he just doesn’t seem to get the respect he deserves. And even Miocic himself admits it, saying after UFC 252 that “I always get sh*t on it seems like.”
Photo by UFC on BT Sport / Twitter
When asked if his legacy is now cemented in the history books, Stipe answered.
“Everyone is gonna change their opinion, I always get (expletive) on, it seems like,” Miocic told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC 252. “Listen, I’m just happy to cement my legacy, they always talk about legacy. The only reason I’m happy I cemented my legacy is to show my daughter and if we have more kids, to show them that hard work pays off.”
He continued, “I’m just happy where I’m at. I’ve done a lot and it wasn’t just me, it was my coaches, my amazing wife, my family, my friends. They always supported me, backed me up no matter what. I missed a lot of fun stuff, especially family stuff. It kills me inside.”
The champion is not going anywhere and laid all retirement rumors to bed. He is ready to fight and he doesn’t care who.
As always, he’s ready to “fight anyone.” “A lot of things have been proved, I just keep winning,” Miocic said. “I like winning, winning is fun.”
The fight was very close to being stopped at the end of the second round. When asked if the bell saved Daniel Cormier at the end of round two, Stipe was confident he could have ended the fight early is he had more time at the end of the second round.
“Yes, 100 percent I would have finished him. He was stumbling. Just like the last fight, in the second fight, in the fourth round, I had him in the same spot. I rushed in too fast. If I would have stepped back just a little bit, one step back, I think I would have caught him.” – Stipe on if he was close to stopping Cormier at the end of round two.
Following the win, several contenders called out the champion including former rival Francis Ngannou. UFC President Dana White stated the fight was an entertaining fight and could be the fight of the year alongside Adesanya vs. Costa, “I don’t know what you guys think, but I predict that’s Fight of the Year.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones also hinted at a potential move to heavyweight to challenge the champion. As of now, no official announcement has been made by the UFC on Stipe’s next opponent.
