UFC 252: Stipe Miocic confirms he’s the best – but he might just be getting better

Stipe Miocic was looking – and acting – for all the world like the weight of the ages had been lifted from his shoulders on Saturday night. “I’m going home,” he said. “I’ve got the belt.” The UFC’s heavyweight champion (19-3) had just defended his title against Daniel Cormier (22-3, one no contest) at UFC 252 in Las Vegas, securing for posterity a 2-1 record in their epic trilogy with a unanimous decision that ended all debate about who might be the greatest fighter the division has ever seen. Make no mistake now, it’s Miocic. And the way he went about his business should sound a warning to those lining up to have a crack at the 37-year-old. As should his post-fight demeanour. Freed of the prospect of fighting Cormier shadowing his each and every move, Miocic might just get better, if that is indeed somehow possible. “I’m just happy where I’m at,” said Miocic. “If it wasn’t for the people around me, my amazing family, my friends, my coaches, I wouldn’t be here.” UFC 252: O’Malley taken out on stretcher as ‘Chito’ gets TKO In the lead-up to the fight – the third, over two years that have felt longer than that – Miocic had been reserved in public, as has mostly been his want over the course of his career. But the stress had taken its toll and he had admitted in the pre-fight press conference he couldn’t wait for the trilogy to be done and dusted. Now, set free from the worry of facing Cormier, the world saw Miocic as his family obviously does, as do his workmates at the Valley View Fire Department in Cleveland. He was joking with the gathered press at the UFC’s Apex facility – mock challenging a few to go some rounds – and he was pining for the future, both back home in Ohio and beyond. “I’m just happy to cement my legacy and to show my daughter that hard work pays off,” said Miocic. Across those five torrid rounds against Cormier on Sunday, Miocic laid to rest a generation of heavyweights. It was a campaign that started with the Kiwi warhorse Mark Hunt (13-14-1, one no contest) back in 2015, and has since continued through former champs Andrei Arlovski (29-19, two no contests), Fabrício Werdum (24-9-1) and Junior dos Santos (21-7), and even the fighting machine that is Alistair Overeem (46-18, one no contest). Cormier had his chances on Saturday, right up until the moment he was laid down at the end of the second round with a big right and it became apparent that Miocic had pretty much worked him out. The third-round eye poke didn’t help the 41-year-old’s hopes but it had looked for all the world that Miocic had his measure by then anyway. High drama at the end of Round 2 as @stipemiocic hurt Daniel Cormier #UFC252 pic.twitter.com/6bBokCf01o — ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 16, 2020 “He’s just real good at countering, for some reason I just couldn’t get off what I wanted to,” said Miocic. “Couple times I did. I almost caught him in the second, but he’s an amazing fighter, that’s why he does what he does, that’s why he’s won so many titles and beat so many good guys. It was real close, he fell, that’s why he’s a great fighter, he knew he was in trouble and he did the right thing.” As for what's ahead, short-term? “It’s my birthday on the 19th. [Drinking] Modelos for days.” So now we have the next generation of heavyweights, led by the second-ranked Francis Ngannou (15-3) – a man Miocic has already beaten once, let’s not forget. He gave the Frenchman a thorough working over on his way to a unanimous decision when they met in 2018. The sixth-ranked Surinamese fighter Jairzinho Rozenstruik was out there at the Apex at UFC 252, moving former champ Dos Santos closer to retirement with a second-round KO. Ngannou is waiting in the wings, the fourth-ranked Derrick Lewis (24-7) was monstrous in winning on August 9, and another rising star in the Frenchman Ciryl Gane (6-0) – currently ranked 15 and rising – will be seen in action next month. No doubt spurred on by all the talk of greatness, the UFC’s current light heavyweight champ Jon Jones (26-1, one no contest) was even putting his hand up during UFC 252. UFC boss Dana White brushed off a suggestion in the post-fight press conference that perhaps Miocic's presence had this past week been overshadowed by Cormier, given that man’s charisma and multimedia imprint. The eye poke that Daniel Cormier says caused him to lose vision in his left eye at #UFC252 pic.twitter.com/b6R5DalYoS — ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 16, 2020 “When you have a massive fight like tonight … it takes two guys to do that,” said White. “The reason this fight was so big and so good was that everybody out there absolutely positively knows that two baddest dudes in the world faced off tonight. You’ve got people standing outside someone's window to watch on TV.” What this next generation can expect is to face a champion who looked frightening in the cage at UFC 252 and frighteningly comfortable with his place in the world afterwards. Not much fun for those fighters. But must-see viewing for the rest of the world.