CLEVELAND -- Who is the best heavyweight mixed martial artist in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship?
Be it on a television talk show or a conversation among friends, it is a matter of much debate, but to UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, after setting the record for the most consecutive title defenses in his division with a dominant unanimous-decision win over Francis Ngannou at UFC 220 in TD Garden in Boston Saturday night, there should be no question who is best.
“It was the Stipe show,” Miocic said in his post-fight press conference. “It wasn’t about him. It was about me. I’m the champ. I broke the record. I’m the best.”
In his five previous fights, Miocic won by knockout or technical knockout, and four of those bouts ended in the first round. It was the first time Miocic went five rounds in a title fight, and only the third time in his career that he had gone past the fourth.
Miocic last went the distance against Junior dos Santos on December 13, 2014. Ngannou had never been out of the second round in his MMA career.
Miocic won the bout against Ngannou, 50-44, on all three of the judges' scorecards.
Including the win over Ngannou, Miocic has now won six straight fights, improved to 18-2 in his professional career, and is 12-2 in 14 bouts under the UFC banner.
“No one’s ever defended it three times,” Miocic said. “I had the killers’ row of fighters to get to it. I had a hard path to get to the title, and I’ve had a hard path to defend the title. Top dudes. I had to fight (Andrei) Arlovski. Then, I had to fight (Fabricio) Werdum in Brazil with 45,000 people. Crazy.
“Next guy, (Alistair) Overeem, a killer, K-1 champ, hits like a ton of bricks. Next guy, JDS, who I lost to. I’ve got a guy that’s a phenom next. Nothing’s ever easy. I know fighting ain’t easy, but I never had an easy road. I think it was hard. That’s why I love being from Cleveland because nothing’s ever given. It’s earned.”
Prior to the Ngannou fight, Miocic (18-2, 12-2 UFC) said the record did not mean anything to him. However, after accomplishing the feat and hearing the words “And Still” echo off of the walls of TD Garden in a city with a proud fighting history, Miocic embraced the record-setting moment.
“Now, it means something to me,” Miocic said. “I beat the guy that I couldn’t beat, so it made it that much sweeter. This guy’s a phenom. He’s one in a million, blah, blah, blah. Well, guess what? He lost. He lost to a Midwest boy that’s 40 pounds lighter than him. I’m the greatest heavyweight. I’ve defended it three times. Nobody’s ever done that.
“Everyone (crapped) on me, dude. They were like, ‘Oh, my God! You’re going to get knocked out in the first round. Oh, my God.’ Guess what? It’s still mine, and it ain’t going nowhere.”
