The UFC Heavyweight Champion said some things Brock Lesnar might not want to hear…
Stipe Miocic has made several good heavyweights look bad during his 22 months on top of the division. His 3 title defenses are the most of any champion the division has ever had.
Miocic knows the UFC doesn’t want him as heavyweight champion, however. The UFC wants a champion who draws on pay-per-view and that is not Stipe. They were hoping Francis Ngannou was their guy but Stipe derailed that train. A champion vs champion fight is the promotion’s silver-lining to losing what they thought might be their golden goose at heavyweight, however.
When Miocic was asked if he thought the UFC was hoping Ngannou would beat him, he had this to say:
“Obviously, for sure,” Miocic said on the MMA Hour. “Listen, I feel a little bit disrespected, but I’m not going to dwell on it.”
A champion vs champion fight is the promotion’s silver-lining to losing what they thought might be their golden goose at heavyweight.
The most marketable possible fight at heavyweight now would be Brock Lesnar vs Stipe Miocic or Daniel Cormier depending on what happens in their fight at UFC 226.
Miocic made some comments recently which Brock Lesnar might not want to hear…
Stopping the Francis Ngannou Hype Train
Francis Ngannou was favored to defeat Stipe Miocic at UFC 220. Miocic is no stranger to being the underdog, however. With the victory, Miocic now holds the UFC heavyweight championship title defense record with 3.
Miocic talked about his fight with Ngannou to Cleveland’s local WKYC station recently:
“He was a big, strong guy,” Miocic said of Ngannou.
“I was ready for that, but it was just tiring because he’s a tough guy. He was still out there swinging. Even in the fifth round, that guy still hit hard, and I didn’t want to give him any chances. Listen, I did my job, was happy and brought home the title, kept the streak alive and broke the record.”
Stipe Miocic vs Daniel Cormier
Miocic has to worry about Daniel Cormier before he thinks about a potential fight with Brock Lesnar, however. It will be his 5th fight in 26 months dating back to his knockout victory over Fabricio Werdum that won him the title.
Daniel Cormier has never lost to anyone other than Jon Jones. This fight with Stipe is a chance for him to win a title that doesn’t have a footnote on it. Even though Cormier is the undisputed light heavyweight champion, that title will always have Jon Jones’ shadow over it. The title Stipe has doesn’t.
Stipe Miocic vs Brock Lesnar
Sports Illustrated recently reached out to Miocic about his thoughts on potentially facing Brock Lesnar.
“Brock is a former champ and he knows how to bring it,” said Miocic. “He’s tough, he’s very strong and beaten a lot of good guys, but I am a bad matchup for him.”
“I match up well with anyone,” Miocic continued. “That has a lot to do with my coaches, teammates, and my training. I always have a good game plan walking in on the day of a fight. With Brock, I’d win, there’s no question. But right now, all I care about is fighting DC. That’s all I’m worried about.”
