Stipe Miocic - The Greatest UFC Heavyweight ever ?

 

no copyright infringement intended

With a unanimous decision win over Daniel Cormier in UFC 252, Stipe Miocic broke ties by winning the trilogy fight. This takes his professional MMA record to 20 wins (15 knockouts) & 3 losses. He set a staggering record of most title defenses (4) in the UFC heavyweight division. He also leveled scores with Randy Couture for the most UFC title fight wins (6). 

"The only reason I'm happy to cement my legacy is to show my daughter that hard work pays off," said Miocic.

Miocic is now among the finest Heavyweights in the UFC alongside Tim Sylvia, Cain Velasquez, Randy Couture & Andrei Arlovski. He holds the record of nine fight-bonus awards, the most in the heavyweight division. Furthermore, he was accoladed with UFC Fight Honors Comeback of the Year in 2019 for his victory against Daniel Cormier. The heavyweight king has now won eight of his past nine bouts, of which the only loss came from Cormier via TKO. He has beaten the likes of Alistair Overeem, Francis Ngannou, Mark Hunt, Junior Dos Santos. When compared with all-time UFC giants & his legacy, Miocic said :

"It's not what I think, It's what you guys think & the fans think. One minute you might say something & he might say something totally different. I'm happy where I'm at. I've done a lot." 

Who's next for Miocic?

Jon Jones has vacated his UFC Light-heavyweight title which he held nearly for a decade. He's been expressing his keen interest in going a notch up and fighting for the heavyweight title. Right after Miocic vs Cormier trilogy, Jones tweeted :

   

Avoid Stipe’s right hand, I’m too fast, I’ll be too strong when the time is right and have way too much energy. Soon and very soon I’ll be considered the baddest man on this planet

— BONY (@JonnyBones) August 16, 2020

 

Jones, 33, considered amongst the most ferocious & GOAT in the UFC won his last fight against Dominic Reyes via unanimous decision. He captured the Light-Heavyweight Championship belt in 2011 after a TKO win over Mauricio Rua. Jones is tied with Demetrious Johnson for the most title defenses (11). 

On the next side, Ngannou is thrilled to get a rematch and level his scores with the current heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic. The last time these fighters met, it was Miocic who triumphed via unanimous decision and defended his title successfully. However, Ngannou is the current scariest fighter in the prestigious division of the UFC, he's fought just 2.02 minutes in his last four fights where he dashed his opponents via KO/TKO. In his last appearance at UFC 249, he shook the world by knocking out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in just 20 seconds. After Stipe won the trilogy fight against Cormier, Ngannou expressed his notions on twitter.

Great performance to both guys 👏 Congrats to Stipe on the performance.
See you soon. #NgannouVsStipe2

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) August 16, 2020

 

In a post-fight interview, UFC President Dana White said that Jones move up to heavyweight would be ''interesting" but that Ngannou, who has won four fights straight via KO/TKO, is next in line for a rematch with Miocic. Dana White looked firm on giving a title-shot to Ngannou due to his performance and the hype created around him.

Who do you reckon should get a title-shot? How does Miocic's career go-ahead from here? Let us know in the comment section below.